3. Health and Safety Flashcards
What are the CDM 2015 Regulations?
- The construction design management regulations are the regulations that apply to all building and construction work and outlines roles of different parties who are responsible in coordinating health and safety procedures
*The Construction Design and Management Regulations are intended to ensure that health and safety
issues are properly considered during a project’s development so that the risk of harm to those that have to build, use and maintain structures is reduced.
* The CDM regulations apply to all building and construction work.
* Domestic clients are not generally required to carry out their duties as these are typically passed to the other duty holders such as the contractor.
* For commercial clients they must make arrangements for managing their project to ensure that health and safety risks are managed in a proportionate way. Details of their duties under the regulations are listed below.
* The summary of duties for each of the parties are as follows:-
* Principal Designer:-
o Plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety (pre-construction).
o Identify, eliminate or control foreseeable risks.
o Ensure Client and designers are aware of their duties and advise the Client on bringing together the pre-construction information.
o Provide relevant information to other duty holders.
o Liaise with Principal Contractor in the planning management, monitoring and coordination of
the construction phase.
- Client
o Appoint competent duty holders.
o Allow sufficient time and resources.
o Prepare and provide relevant information to duty holders.
o Ensure that the Principal Designer and Contractor carry out their duties.
o Ensure welfare facilities.
What are the key implications of the CDM 2015
- There is more focus on clients to put in place arrangements to ensure health and safety.
- Clients can no longer assign their legal responsibilities to agents.
- There must be a declaration of how long contractors will be given to plan and prepare for construction work.
- Clients are deemed to assume the role of the principal contractor for any period during which other appointments aren’t made
What H&S precautions do you take when going on site?
- I ensure that I have PPE and that I have had a site induction.
Who do you inform that you are going on site?
- I sign in the attendance register and report to the site office to make them aware of my presence.
- I ensure my own company 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 mask if required.
On the project described in your case study, what measures did you or your company take to ensure good standards of health and safety when either undertaking your work or delivering the project?
- Preparing work risk assessments.
- Wearing personal protective equipment on site.
- Adhering to contractor’s site rules.
- Attending site inductions.
- Ensuring health and safety was discussed at meetings.
- Reporting visible risks for example traffic management issues.
What is a risk assessment?
- A risk assessment is simply a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to people, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken sufficient precautions or should do more to prevent harm.
What are the 5 steps to risk assessment?
- Step 1 - Identify the hazards.
- Step 2 - Decide who might be harmed and how.
- Step 3 - Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions.
- Step 4 - Record your findings and implement them.
- Step 5 - Review your assessment and update if necessary
What is the role of the HSE?
- To 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, talk to workers, take pictures and samples.
- To issue written or verbal information and advice.
- Most inspections are planned to encourage good H&S practices.
- Some inspections are to respond to a complaint or follow-up an investigation.
- To impose sanctions including stop and improvement orders.
What is your company’s Health and Safety policy?
- Prevent work-related injuries or illnesses.
- Prevent damage to property and/or equipment from our activities.
- Prevent adverse impacts to the environment from our ongoing projects or operations.
- At staff level:-
o Take responsibility for safety and comply with safe systems of work.
o Act responsively, report incidents and near misses.
o Regular training refresher courses.
o Risk assessments are compulsory for all projects with bi-monthly updates as a minimum.
o CSCS cards are mandatory
What is the RICS Surveying Safely publication?
- The RICS guidance on personal safety at work.
- The document covers:-
o 1) General Statement - Employers/Employees have a duty of care under law of tort towards
those who may be affected by their actions.
o 2) Safety of Employees - actions that must be taken by employers. Special duty of care towards
young/trainees.
o 3) Workplace – Fire & First Aid provisions.
o 4) Hazards and Risk Assessment requirements.
o 5) Visiting Sites - PPE, Lone working, Access provisions.
o 6) During Site Visits - Key hazards assessments including structures, roofs and contamination.
o 7) Safety of you and others – Everyone is to take responsibility of their own health & safety.
o 8) Legal Duties - Criminal Liability and CDM guidance
What other guidance is available?
- The HSE has published a similar guide ‘Health and Safety in Great Britain’ but it is more generic and not focused on construction.
- HSE Five Steps to Risk Assessments.
- Managing H&S in Construction – Approved Code of Practice (ACoP).
What is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974?
- This is the primary piece of legislation governing H&S in the United Kingdom.
- It places a statutory duty on all employers to provide and maintain equipment and systems of works that are safe and without risk to the health and safety of employees
- The Act aims to:
o Secure the health, safety and welfare of people at work.
o Protect others against risks to health and safety arising from work activities.
o Employers with 5 or more employees must have written health and safety documents detailing
the organisations health and safety structure.
