FMEA method application based on occupational risks in the construction industry on work at height: A theoretical contribution

Abstract

Falls with height difference represents one of the greatest risks found in the construction industry. Because of this, there is a need for the development of tools to assist in risk analysis for occupational accidents. FMEA has been increasingly introduced to different construction environments and recent developments have allowed its application as a tool for risk analysis. With this, the present study applies the tool to work in height in the civil construction. For this FMEA were built consisting of working environments such as works near to peripheries, works on supported scaffolds, works on suspended scaffolding and works near openings in the floor. A total of 65 faults were analyzed, showing their relationship between severity, occurrence and detection. With the application of the FMEA, it was possible to perceive that 49,2% of the total number of failures of the analyzed subprocesses are at a moderate level and 35,4% have a high risky degree, thus demonstrating the need for further studies to improve conditions against the inherent risks of work at height.