Health & Safety

What are the CDM 2015 Regulations?

• Ensure health & safety

• Apply to all building and construction works

• Domestic clients not generally required to carry out duties, passed to contractor

What are the duties of the Principal Designer under CDM 2015?

• Plan, manage, monitor pre-con health and safety

• Identify, eliminate, control risks

• Bring together pre-construction information

• Provide information to duty holders

• Liaise with Principal Contractor

What are the duties of the Client under CDM 2015?

• Appoint competent duty holders

• Allow sufficient time & resources

• Provide relevant information to duty holders

• Ensure Principal Designer and Contractor carry out their duties

• Ensure welfare facilities

What are the key implications of the regulations?

• More focus on clients to arrange health and safety

• Clients can no longer assign their legal responsibilities to agents

• Declaration of how long contractors given to plan and prepare for project

• Assume role of principal contractor for any period during which other appointments aren’t made

What items would you expect to find in the pre-construction information?

• Project description

• Client’s considerations and management requirements

• Environmental restrictions

• Design and construction hazards

• Health and safety file requirements

What would you find in the Construction Phase Plan?

• Project description

• Processes

• Agreements for controlling site risks

What would you find in the H&S File?

For the planning of future works or maintenance

• Brief description of the works

• Residual hazards

• Structural principles

• Hazardous materials

• Nature and location of significant services

What is an F10?

Used to notify the HSE of the project

• Address of site

• Name of local authority

• Brief description of the project

• Contact details for Client and Principal Contractor

• Indication of time allowed, programme

• Planned start date

• Duration of the works

• Number of people on site

What does RIDDOR stand for?

• Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013

• Requires notification of any death, reportable injury, disease or dangerous occurrence to the HSE

• Responsible person is the employer, contractor or principal contractor

What incidents are reportable?

• Death and major injuries

• Occupational diseases

• Dangerous occurrences

• Gas incidents

What does COSHH stand for?

• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

• Aim to avoid or control exposure

What H&S precautions do you take when going on site?

I ensure that I have PPE and I have had a site induction

Who do you inform that you are going on site?

• Sign attendance register and report to the site office

• Ensure my own workplace is kept updated on my whereabouts

What does PPE stand for?

Personal Protective Equipment

What PPE would you wear when visiting a site?

• Hard hat

• Boots

• Goggles

• Gloves

• Hi-vis vest

• Ear defenders if required

• Face masks if required

What does CSCS stand for?

Construction Skills Certification Scheme

On the project described in your case study, what measure did you or your company take to ensure good standards of health and safety when either undertaking your work or delivering the project?

• Prepare risk assessments

• Wear PPE on site

• Adhering to site rules

• Attend site inductions

• Discussing H&S at meetings

• Report visible risks

What is a risk assessment?

• Careful examination of what could cause harm

• Weigh up whether you have taken sufficient precautions or should do more to prevent harm

• Law does not expect you to eliminate all risk

• Required to protect people as far as ‘reasonably practicable’

What are the 5 steps to risk assessment?

Step 1: Identify the hazards

Step 2: Decide who may be harmed

Step 3: Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions

Step 4: Record findings

Step 5: Review and update

What is the role of the HSE?

• Prevent work-related death, injury and ill-health

• Provide support to the public and businesses with guidance, statistics and research

What are the powers of the HSE?

• Inspectors can visit site without notice

• Issue written or verbal information

• Encourage good H&S practice

• Inspections can be to respond to a complaint or follow-up an investigation

• Impose sanctions, stop and improvement orders

What is your company’s H&S policy?

• Prevent work related injuries or illnesses

• Prevent damage to property and equipment

• Prevent impacts on the environment

Staff level:

• Responsibility for safety

• Safe systems of work

• Act responsively

• Regular training courses

• Risk assessment updates

What is the RICS Surveying Safely publications?

• RICS guidance on personal safety at work

Document Covers:

• General statement

• Safety of employees

• Fire & first aid provisions

• Hazards and risk assessments

• Visiting sites: PPE, lone working

• During site visits: hazard assessments

• Safety of you and others

• Legal duties: CDM

What guidance is available other than the RICS Survey Safety?

HSE: Health and Safety in Great Britain

HSE: Five Steps to Risk Assessments

Managing H&S in Construction: Approved Code of Practice (ACoP)

The construction industry is notorious for accidents and death on site, what measures are there to prevent this occurring?

1: Eliminate the risk

2: Planning of works

3: Allowing sufficient time

4: Carry out risk assessments

5: Training and inductions

6: Ensure safe working sites

Which accident kills the most operatives in construction?

Falls from height

What is the considerate contractors scheme?

• CCS

• Set up in 1997

• Improving the image of construction

• Monitors all registered sites and ensures best practices

What is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974?

• Primary piece of H&S legislation in the UK

• Places statutory duty on employers to provide and maintain equipment

Aims to:

• Secure the health, safety and welfare of people at work

• Protect others against risks

• Control dangerous substances

• Control of emissions into the atmosphere

• Employers with 5 or more employees must have written H&S documents