CALGARY CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION April 30, 2013 Response to NOTICE OF MOTION CC 661 (R2009‐05) November 6th 2012 RE: Sidewalk Closures During Construction. Report to The City of Calgary Roads/Traffic Engineering & Standing Policy Committee The Calgary Construction Association (CCA) has been working collaboratively with The City of Calgary (Roads/Development & Building Approvals) and Alberta Occupational Health & Safety on a monthly basis. Committees and working groups have been utilized, drawing on a vast amount of experience and enthusiasm to work in a collaborative environment with all stakeholders in developing several construction safety documents and initiatives which include: A. On‐Site Construction Safety ‐ BEST PRACTICES guide (yellow) which highlights four areas: 1. Hoarding of a Construction/Demolition Site 2. Managing Vehicular and Pedestrian Traffic Adjacent to Construction Sites 3. Lifting and Hoisting Operations 4. Securing Construction Materials and Equipment on Site 2. Practical Guide for Construction Sites in the City of Calgary (red). This practical guide outlines the roles and responsibilities and legislation that With more than 1000 years of combined construction governs new construction and experience, over 40 mangers, superintendents and safety demolition in Calgary. coordinators representing the CCA, The City of Calgary and 3. Site Signage which allows for a citizen OH&S brought together the best of the best in safety to contact the prime contractor if and practices, resulting in the publication of the “On‐Site when site safety is being compromised. Construction Safety – Best Practices” Guide. (Currently under further enhancement)
4. Public Protection Site Safety Plan (PPSSP). This documentation is provided to the city by the contractor upon application for a building permit. One important element of the PPSSP application and review is to look at the major projects on a case by case basis early in the development of the job, as every project has an inherently different set of risks. 5. Advanced Weather Forecasting System (AWFS). The Calgary Construction Association in partnership with The City of Calgary has developed the most advanced weather forecasting system in North America. The AWFS was implemented in January 2012 for the Institutional & Commercial construction sector and is now being adopted and utilized by the members of the Building Owners Managers Association and the Canadian Home Builders Association – Calgary Chapter. In addition the industry has established the following: Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA). The construction community in Alberta established the first construction safety association in Canada in 1988, which has now been adopted by all provinces in the country. The ACSA promotes through the cooperative efforts of all those involved, that the construction environment in Alberta will be the safest anywhere. The mission of the Alberta Construction Safety Association is to provide quality advice and education for the construction industry that will reduce human suffering and financial costs associated with workplace incidents. Gold Seal Certification. The Canadian Construction Association Gold Seal Program certifies individuals with experience and expertise followed by certification via exam for professional Construction Safety Coordinators. Promoting Construction Safety. The construction industry promotes construction safety at the annual North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week and continuously promotes safety throughout the twelve months of every year.
CCA membership came together in 2012 with an extensive marketing campaign to promote on‐ site construction safety in partnership with The City of Calgary and the Government of Alberta.
The Calgary Construction Association and its members are focused on delivering the best service in the safest manner. The recent initiatives as previously outlined have been implemented in Calgary and have enhanced existing practices and procedures which allows for safe pedestrian mobility around construction sites. The safety related guides and documents, along with the AWFS noted in this report, are living documents and are under constant review. Currently the local Construction On‐Site Safety Committee is taking into consideration and reviewing the mobility of individuals who are disabled and/or impaired, for safe movement in and around construction sites.
There are existing bylaws, codes and permits in place that address the points of the “Notice of Motion” in a detailed manner. It is important to realize that every project is different and has different sets of hazards. This is why the PPSSP and hoarding permit process involve detailed planning. No two construction sites are ever treated the same. POINT 1 ‐ ENSURE THE SAFE PASSAGE OF PEDESTRIANS UNDER A HOARDING STRUCTURE ON THE SAME BLOCK FACE AS A CONSTRUCTION PROJECT ON BUSY ROADWAYS (EXCLUDING LOW‐VOLUME LOCAL STREETS) Currently The City’s hoarding permit application and approval process requires safe pedestrian and vehicular passage around a construction jobsite. To mandate a hoarding structure on all projects is not required, hoarding is only required where overhead work creates a hazard. On some projects there is no overhead hazard and a fence will suffice to keep the public out of the site for their safety. Fencing is covered in the On‐Site Construction Safety ‐ Best Practices guide. In the July 2011 Advisory bulletin from The City of Calgary regarding Construction Site Fencing, the Alberta Building Code Part 8 identifies requirements for fencing and site activity in regards to the interface with the public as legislation. It includes the design requirements for overhead hoarding. The recent implementation of the Public Protection Site Safety Plan and the yellow Best Practices safety guide are key tools that were developed to address this issue, specifically during planning, approval and construction. The PPSSP facilitates advanced planning and discussion with several City departments in conjunction with the contractors’ pre‐job planning and hazard assessment. The Alberta Occupational Health and Safety code Part 2 is clear on hazard assessment elimination and control. As hazards are identified, the chain of preferred management is: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Elimination Control of the hazard Engineering controls Administrative controls Employ personal protective equipment (at worker level, not viable for public)
Safe passage of the public past a site is often achieved by diverting pedestrians to the other side of the street when there is an overhead hazard, such as during structural installation, over longer periods of time and when heavy construction traffic is present. This is a means of elimination through separation of
the public and is a major reason why many projects look to separate the public foot traffic from the site, especially construction traffic. The thoroughfare of pedestrians can be inherently difficult to achieve in the below grade stages of a large project when shoring and excavation operations extend to the site property lines and/or set backs and in some cases onto city property. This creates a need for potential street use and possible relocation of pedestrians to the other side to facilitate loading/unloading and short term construction staging areas. During the below grade stages of a project there is often efficiency and enhanced safety by allowing construction deliveries to enter and pass through a closed off lane as opposed to coming out of the site at a 90 degree angle which has a greater impact on pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The detailed hoarding permit process requires that when requesting lane or sidewalk use, the contractor must describe all other options considered and provide justification as to why they are not viable. The other major phase of a project is the completion of at grade construction and civil installations. Civil tie‐ins are coordinated through the roads department and are often approved for construction at off peak times such as weekends. Some of the civil work associated with projects extends well onto city streets as a means of upgrading city services beyond a simple tie‐in. These can be fairly extensive and involve isolation of the sidewalk and street to protect pedestrians and facilitate a quicker install and turn around to rehabilitated condition. At grade construction is commonly associated with the enhancement of sidewalks and public spaces as outlined in the Development Permit approval. Construction is not always simple and requires time to carry out complex installations at which time pedestrians are best relocated for their safety. The exception is when existing businesses are on the same side as the development, and in those cases, access is maintained and the sidewalk development is often completed in smaller phases to facilitate business access. Detailed coordination and communication occurs with the relevant stakeholders to minimize disruption. It is rare that two different sites will be operating on the same face in the same stage of development. Coordination with the City would be required to accommodate pedestrian traffic. The best time to do this is at the Development Permit stage, with the Development Permit office referring developers and or contractors to the PPSSP process when potential conflict exists.
The City of Calgary’s community boardwalk project assists with the beautification of construction hoarding. The construction community in Calgary recognizes that art has a positive impact on the pedestrian environment and the way Calgarians see and experience communities being built around them. The look and quality of hoarding is changing with the recent implementation of the Public Protection Site Safety Plan process. The PPSSP became mandatory in January of 2013, which will certainly assist in the prevention of incidents due to the early planning process. POINT 2 ‐ ACCOMMODATE PEDESTRIAN MOVEMENTS UNDER A HOARDING STRUCTURE ON THE SIDEWALK OR IN THE CURB LANE OF TRAFFIC WHERE FEASIBLE This point is very similar to Point 1 in many ways and a viable option that is often used to maintain the flow of pedestrians on the street and in most cases the same side of the road as the construction. This has proven to work well on 7th Avenue adjacent to the LRT and on roads with wider lanes. The widths available to facilitate both cars and pedestrians with a safe barrier in between will not always provide for the same width as what may be possible on the other side of the street in many cases. However, this is a preferred option, as closing all access can be difficult to manage with respect to pedestrians walking in traffic. Again it is important to assess the level of hazard adjacent to the hoarding as physical separation on the other side of the road is often the safest option. Placing pedestrians on a road surface introduces other vehicle hazards that can be managed with jersey barriers and fencing. This method of using the curb lane to allow pedestrian passage can also impact the ability to set up cranes and concrete pumps. This equipment is often set up on a short duration lift by lift or on a pour‐ by‐pour basis. Outriggers are sometimes placed onto the curb lane during use, then retracted to reinstate the lane after the pour or lift has been completed. If the pedestrian bypass was using the lane, this would eliminate or restrict this option and in turn complicate the site activity relative to safety. Flag staff utilized in Calgary are well trained and highly visible when operating with traffic and the public. The Best Practices guideline has a section on managing vehicular and pedestrian traffic adjacent to construction sites. Flag staff are often trained in a similar manner to WHMIS training where it is facilitated through an in house trainer. The Alberta Construction Safety Association (ACSA) in conjunction with the construction industry, operates several courses on a regular basis specifically addressing traffic control. The Alberta Temporary Traffic Control (ATTC) Field Application Course trains site staff in understanding and safely implementing traffic plans. The Alberta traffic control technicians in partnership with the American Traffic Safety Services Association designed another two‐day course. The course is delivered throughout the province of Alberta by traffic control experts in conjunction with the ACSA. The target audience for this course are those involved in developing, assisting in set up and/or in monitoring the implementation of temporary traffic control plans.
POINT 3 ‐ PLACE APPROPRIATE FEES THAT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT INCONVENIENCE OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC, AND LOSS PARKING REVENUE IF LANES ARE CLOSED FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. The City of Calgary has an extensive fee structure in place with respect to street and sidewalk use. These fees are consistent with other Canadian municipalities and already act as a strong deterrent to contractors occupying public land without good reason. The fee structure is broken out into different levels to facilitate bypass options for cars and pedestrians where possible. The current fee structure does not charge for the sidewalk area used for overhead hoarding, it is critical that this remains in place, as it is a very effective tool in promoting public safety. The developer/contractor still has to pay for the hoarding itself. The inconvenience public are occasionally exposed to, is there for their safety. It should be noted that the City roads department does not allow unjustified street or sidewalk use. POINT 4 ‐ MANDATE THE POSTING OF CITY POLICY ON SITE FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION As part of the January 1, 2013 implementation of the PPSSP in conjunction with the building permit application process, sites are now required to post relevant information for emergency response. The on‐site contact information is also available for use by the public when concerns arise. The on‐site signage is in process of going through further enhancement as a result of trial projects. The Construction On‐Site Safety Committee is reviewing the feasibility The CCA stakeholders, The City of Calgary and the Alberta of site signage on all construction sites. The Government collaborate in the development of a strategic new signs will be standard black on orange safety plan for the city of Calgary. signs that everyone can identify. The standard on‐site signage includes a Quick Response code to allow access to The City of Calgary website for additional information.
In closing, The Construction On‐Site Safety Committee was formed in 2009, and the Calgary Construction Association and its stakeholders are proud to be partners with The City of Calgary and Alberta Occupational Health and Safety. The primary objective of the committee is to develop and implement new processes and procedures to ensure the safety of the public and workers, while at the same time accommodating vehicular and pedestrian mobility. The committee continues to raise awareness of the various hazards and conditions at and adjacent to construction sites. Recognizing that construction activities occur in diverse environments, pre‐planning for public and worker safety is essential. The committee will continue to strive for “ZERO INCIDENTS” in and around construction sites. Dave Smith, President Calgary Construction Association
References: Calgary Construction Association (CCA) http://www.cca.cc/ Alberta Construction Safety Association http://www.acsa‐safety.org/ Alberta Construction Association http://albertaconstruction.net/ Canadian Construction Association http://www.cca‐acc.com/en/ Gold Seal Certification http://www.goldsealcertification.com/ RWDI Advanced Weather Forecasting System http://software.rwdiair.com/product/envision/applications/wind_warning/ City of Calgary Public Protection Site Safety Plan http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/DBA/Documents/building/BR‐advisory‐bulletin‐public‐protection‐site‐ safety‐april‐2012.pdf Practical Guide for Construction Sites in the city of Calgary http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/DBA/Documents/Inspections/practical‐guide‐for‐construction‐sites‐ 2012.pdf City of Calgary Hoarding Permit http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation/Roads/Pages/Traffic/Permits/Hoarding‐permits/Hoarding‐ Permits.aspx City of Calgary Street use Bylaw 20M88 http://www.calgary.ca/CA/city‐clerks/Documents/Legislative‐ services/Bylaws/20M88‐Streets.pdf Alberta Building Code