A proposal for improving safety in construction projects by strengthening coordinators’ competencies in health and safety issues

The figure of the coordinator in health and safety issues in the construction sector first appeared in our legislation through the incorporation of the European Directives (in our case Royal Decree 1627/97 on the minimum health and safety regulations in construction works), and is viewed differently in different countries of the European Union regarding the way they are hired and their role in the construction industry. Coordinating health and safety issues is also a management process that requires certain competencies that are not only based on technical or professional training, but which, taking account of the work environment, require the use of strategies and tools that are related to experience and personal skills. Through a piece of research that took account of expert opinions in the matter, we have found which competencies need to be possessed by the health and safety coordinator in order to improve the safety in the works they are coordinating. The conclusions of the analyses performed using the appropriate statistical methods (comparing means and multivariate analysis techniques), will enable training programmes to be designed and ensure that the health and safety coordinators selected have the competencies required to carry out their duties.

A proposal for improving safety in construction projects by strengthening coordinators’ competencies in health and safety issues

The figure of the coordinator in health and safety issues in the construction sector first appeared in our legislation through the incorporation of the European Directives (in our case Royal Decree 1627/97 on the minimum health and safety regulations in construction works), and is viewed differently in different countries of the European Union regarding the way they are hired and their role in the construction industry. Coordinating health and safety issues is also a management process that requires certain competencies that are not only based on technical or professional training, but which, taking account of the work environment, require the use of strategies and tools that are related to experience and personal skills. Through a piece of research that took account of expert opinions in the matter, we have found which competencies need to be possessed by the health and safety coordinator in order to improve the safety in the works they are coordinating. The conclusions of the analyses performed using the appropriate statistical methods (comparing means and multivariate analysis techniques), will enable training programmes to be designed and ensure that the health and safety coordinators selected have the competencies required to carry out their duties.

Sistema web de gestión de seminarios

El Trabajo de Fin de Grado (TFG) aquí descrito es el resultado de la necesidad de crear un sistema de gestión de seminarios que utilizarán los planes de postgrado de la Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Informáticos de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Su objetivo es facilitar, tanto al alumnado como al personal de dicha institución, la creación de seminarios ofertados para el alumnado de los distintos planes de postgrado, además de permitir la inscripción de éstos de un modo cómodo e intuitivo. La aplicación de gestión de seminarios deberá permitir que los coordinadores de un plan de postgrado puedan crear seminarios de tal manera que puedan quedar publicados para el alumnado. Para ello, será necesario que sean recogidos todos los datos necesarios del seminario, así como el plan de postgrado organizador y los planes de postgrado para los que serán ofertados. La aplicación además deberá permitir la creación de seminarios sin ser publicados al alumno provisionalmente, la edición de los seminarios ya existentes así como la creación de un seminario nuevo importando los datos de otro ya realizado. Por otra parte, se deberá incorporar en las páginas web de planes de postgrado el listado de los seminarios ofertados para el curso actual, de tal manera que se permita a los alumnos inscribirse a éstos. Por último, el personal de administración del plan de postgrado organizador de un seminario deberá tener acceso a la lista de alumnos inscritos a los seminarios, para el caso de enviar información urgente o ver los alumnos inscritos. El módulo de gestión de seminarios deberá obtener los datos de los planes de postgrado actuales gracias a un módulo de gestión de postgrados, donde se deberá permitir crear, editar y dar de baja planes de postgrado, así como gestionar el personal del postgrado que podrá realizar acciones sobre los seminarios organizados por éste. Los módulos de gestión de seminarios y de gestión de postgrados estarán integrados en un módulo de administración.---ABSTRACT---The Final Project Degree (TFG) described here is the result of the need to create a management system that will use seminars postgraduate plans at the Higher Technical School of Computer Engineering at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. It aims to facilitate both the students and staff of the institution, creating seminars offered to the students of the various postgraduate plans, besides allowing the registration of these in a convenient and intuitive way. The management application will allow the coordinators of a postgraduate plan to create seminars so that they can be published for students. To do this, you will need to collect all the necessary details about the seminar, as well as the postgraduate plan owner and postgraduate plans for which it will be offered. The application must also enable the creation of seminars without being published provisionally to students, the editing of existing seminars and the creation of a new seminar importing data from another already done. Moreover, it should be incorporated into web pages of postgraduate plans seminars listing offered for the current course, so that students are allowed to enrol in these. Finally, the staff of the plan organizer should have access to the list of students enrolled at seminars, in the case of sending urgent information or to see students enrolled. The management module must obtain data from current postgraduate plans through a postgraduate management module, which should be allowed to create, edit and terminate postgraduate plans, and manage staff that can perform actions on seminars organized by it. Management modules of seminars and postgraduate programs will be integrated into a management pack.

Optimización de la figura del técnico coordinador de seguridad y salud en obras de edificación

La figura del Coordinador de seguridad y salud, como técnico necesario y competente dentro de la actividad edificatoria, surge en España el día 25 de diciembre de 1997, dos meses después de la publicación del Real Decreto 1627/1997, de 24 de octubre, por el que se establecen las disposiciones mínimas de seguridad y salud en las obras de construcción (BOE sábado 25 de octubre de 1997). Dicha figura proviene de la trasposición española de la Directiva 92/57/CEE y como en nuestro país, los diferentes estados miembros de la Unión Europea la introducen en su sector de la construcción de diferentes maneras. Desde su concreta aparición ya han transcurrido casi dieciocho años. Esta “mayoría de edad” relativa a la presencia de los coordinadores dentro de las obras, puede considerarse ya un plazo suficiente, para detenerse y efectuar un estudio desde los diferentes puntos de vista que afectan a dicha figura. Se pretende con el presente estudio optimizar integralmente dicha figura. Para ello se estudia su situación actual en nuestro país. De dicho estudio se establece la estructura de la figura del coordinador, definida en cinco apartados que cubren todos sus aspectos. Junto con el estudio de los mismos, se realizan otros análisis en relación con su funcionamiento en nuestro entorno inmediato (los diferentes miembros de la UE-28), así como otros determinados a definir aspectos necesarios para evaluar su implantación, gestión y responsabilidades adquiridas por los técnicos coordinadores de seguridad en España, a través de su actividad desarrollada tras los dieciocho años de implantación. Completa el estudio su actualidad inmediata y se focaliza en un entorno suficiente para determinar su utilidad. Todo ello, con la finalidad de elevar unas conclusiones que unidas a las necesarias propuestas de actuación, nos permitan concretar la optimización de la figura estudiada. ABSTRACT The figure of the Safety and Health Coordinator, both as a necessary and competent technician within the building activity, was established in Spain on December 25th, 1997, just two months after the publishing of the Real Decreto (Royal Decree) 1627/1997 of 24 October, which implemented the minimum requirements for safety and health in construction sites (BOE Saturday, October 25, 1997). The above mentioned figure develops from the Spanish transposition of Directive 92/57/EEC. And as it has happened in Spain, the rest of the EU members have implemented it in the construction sector in various ways. Almost eighteen years have passed since its enactment. This lapse of time can be considered satisfactory to stop at this point and carry out a study on this new position in construction sites but taking into account different points of view that affect it. The present dissertation attempts to fully optimize the figure of the Safety and Health Coordinator by undertaking a research of its current situation in Spain. This study establishes the organizational structure of the Coordinator’s figure, covering all its aspects in five main headings. Alongside with the study of these five sections, further analyses have been carried out in relation to their performance in our immediate surroundings (the research has been extended to different members of the EU-28). Likewise, different studies have been made to determine the necessary aspects to assess the implementation, management and responsibilities acquired by these Safety and Health Coordinators throughout the last eighteen years. This study is completed with the immediate present and focuses on assess and determine its utility in the future. All this with the aim of raising some conclusions that along with the necessary proposals for action, will allow us to achieve the optimization of the studied figure.