Abstract:
Maintenance is one of the most important and critical activities in every high rise commercial
building. Maintenance activities often comprised of risk increasing factors and different kinds of
potential hazards. Significant numbers of maintenance workers may be exposed to a variety of risks
when doing their job. The safety of the maintenance workers should be prioritized in every
maintenance work. It is mandatory to provide a safe working environment for their workers.
Organisations and maintenance workers are not adhering appropriate safety practices to safeguard
their lives and properties. Initiated regulations and standards are not specifically designed for the
building maintenance activities. Therefore, this research intended to address this issue by developing a
framework to ensure safety of maintenance workers in commercial buildings. Initially, a
comprehensive literature review was carried out on the subject matter. Based on the nature of the
study, data collection was carried out in two phases. A case study approach was used to gather
existing information on maintenance works carried out under different categories, their related
hazards. Semi structured interviews were conducted with a professional who is in the management
level of the maintenance department in each selected case study. Expert survey was then carried out
with three industry professionals to gather information about appropriate suggestions to ensure the
safety of maintenance workers. The study highlighted key categories of maintenance works as confined
space works, hot works, works at height, works involve with electrical equipment and works involve in
using dangerous substance. These activities involve with different kinds of potential hazards such as
physical, chemical, biological and psychological. The exposure level of the maintenance workers to
the hazards is significantly high in this work environment. The study identified safe procedures to
follow during different maintenance tasks.
