Core 01 – Health, Safety and Welfare in Construction and

Associated Industries

Regulations, roles and responsibilities

Tutor Copy

Everyone who works in construction is protected by:

Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act of 1974

HASAWAThe Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act covers all health

and safety legislation.

Within this legislation is smaller specific regulations:

affecting the employerand employee

Health and safety legislation

• The Manual Handling Operations Regulations

• The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER)

• The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (PPE)

• The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH)

• Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)

• The Control of Noise at Work

• The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations

• Working at Height Regulations

• Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations

Health and safety legislation

The building site environment changes all the time.

It is important to plan where you are going when moving materials by manual handling.

You should also use correct lifting techniques.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/manualhandling.htm

Manual handling

Legislation used in Construction• The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER)

• The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (PPE)

• The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations

(COSHH)

• Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences

Regulations (RIDDOR)

• The Control of Noise at Work

• The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations

• Working at Height Regulations

• Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations

• Explosive Regulations

If you have to use power tools at work, your employer must make sure that the tools are:

• The correct tool for the job you are doing

• Well maintained and looked after.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/work-equipment-machinery/puwer.htm

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER)

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (PPE)

Employers must provide you with the Personal Protective Equipment you need to do your job.

They must also provide you with somewhere to safely store your Personal Protective Equipment

You must look after this Personal Protective Equipment and use it correctly.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/toolbox/ppe.htm

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations

(COSHH)Some materials you use on site could damage your health if you use

them without protection.These materials will need to be labeled as dangerous and also moved

and stored correctly.Injuries to health can be caused by:

• breathing in gases • breathing in fumes• breathing in mist or dust • contact with the skin• Swallowing• contact with the eyes• skin puncture

http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations

(COSHH)Some Substances you use on site could damage your health if

you use them without protection.

Substances such as:

• Lead Paint

• Solvents and adhesives

• Cements

• Dust

• Contaminated soil/water

• Materials containing Asbestos

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)

Every accident involving any injury whatsoever, and no matter how slight, should be reported.

An accident report book should be on every site or workshop, usually with the Site Agent, Supervisor, or whoever is in charge of the site.

Reporting all accidents will help prevent them from happening again.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/

The Control of Noise at WorkOver 1 million employees in Great Britain are exposed to

levels of noise that puts their hearing at risk.

Employers are required to assess the risks and minimise the dangers to their employees.

Noise is measured in Decibels dB.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/noise/

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations

These regulations introduce action and limit values for hand-arm and

whole-body vibration.

Employers are required to assess the risks and minimise the dangers

to their employees.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/vibration/hav/regulations.htm

Working at Height RegulationsWorking at height remains one of the biggest causes of

fatalities and major injuries. Common cases include falls from

ladders and through fragile roofs.

Work at height means work in any place, including at or below

ground level (for example in underground workings), where a

person could fall a distance liable to cause injury.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/toolbox/height.htm

Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations

http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/regulations.htm

Did you know that every week on average 20 tradesmen die from exposure to asbestos.Asbestos was extensively used as a building material in the UK from the 1950s through to the mid-1980s. It was ideal for fireproofing and insulation. Asbestos materials in good condition are safe unless asbestos fibres become airborne, which happens when materials are damaged.

Explosives Regulations

www.hse.gov.uk/explosives

Essential information and guidance is given with regards to

the following:

• Manufacture and storage of explosives

• Classification of explosives including importation

• Storage of ammonium nitrate

• Fireworks

• Transfer of explosives

Precautions

Appropriate precautions need to be put into place for all

these substances.

Precautions such as:

• Personal Protective Equipment

• Respiratory Equipment

• Isolation (from substances)

• Exposure times (when working with substances)

Employers’ Duties

1. Provide and maintain a safe working environment, using Risk

assessments to create method statements.

2. Ensure safe access to and from the workplace.

3. Provide and maintain safe machines, equipment.

4. Ensure the safe handling, transport and storage of all machinery,

equipment and materials.

5. Provide their employees with the necessary information,

instruction, training and supervision to ensure safe working.

Employees’ Duties

1. Take care at all times.

2. Co-operate with their employers with regards to health and

safety.

3. Use the equipment and safeguards provided by the

employers.

4. Not to misuse or interfere with anything provided for health

and safety.

5. Report hazards, near misses and accidents correctly.

Health and SafetyFollowing these strict guidelines will help companies prevent accidents.

Accidents cost money and livesMessing about may cause someone harm.

Personal SafetyThe following are possible consequences of poor site safety with regards to employees on site:

• Dermatitis• Skin Cancer• Infections• Eye damage• Head injuries• Cuts• Leptospirosis (Weils Disease)• Burns

Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974

HASAWA

Health and Safety ExecutiveThe HASAWA gives HSE inspectors powers to:

• enter workplaces and offer advice• ensure that work is being done safely• investigate accidents and complaints• stop work if it is dangerous • take people to court where an offence has been

committed.

Enforcement of Construction safety

General Legal RequirementsAll construction and demolition work is subject to the Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act and in appropriate circumstances the Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM).

The following sets out some of the legal requirements, which apply to employers.

Notification needs to be given to the HSE When:

A) Work starts on a construction siteB) Accidents, Dangerous Occurrences

or ill Health happen on site

If a construction project is going to last more than 30 days or will take more than 500 man-days work, or involve more than five people on site at any time, or it involves any demolition work, then the main contractor must notify the HSE about the project.

This gives the HSE the opportunity to visit and check up on health and safety on site.

The local HSE office must be notified by the

employer if:

A person dies as a result of an accident caused by or connected with work on the site

A person suffers a listed ‘major injury’ accident (this includes accidents where a person is admitted to hospital for more than 24 hours) or a health condition caused by or connected with work on the site.

A listed ‘dangerous occurrence’ takes place because of or in connection with the work (e.g. collapse/partial collapse of a scaffold more than 5m high and certain buildings and structures).

A person at work is prevented from working for three or more days as a

result of an injury or illness caused by an accident at work.

A person at work is affected by a ‘specified disease’ (e.g. lead poisoning or vibration white finger)

Safety PolicyEvery employer who has five or more employees must prepare a written safety policy.It must be revised when necessary and brought to the attention of all employees.

WelfareEvery contractor on site must make sure that welfare

facilities are available for their employees.

Suitable and sufficient washing facilities.

Suitable and sufficient adequate toilets.

Drying rooms or other accommodation for sheltering

during bad weather, storing clothes and taking breaks.

Personal Hygiene

You are responsible for your own personal hygiene when

on site.Washing your hands and using the welfare facilities

provided will help you maintain good personal hygiene.

Think about the impression you give to the people you

work for.

If you look untidy, future customers may be put off.

Other sources of health and safety information

• HSE (Health and Safety Executive)• CITB (Construction Industry Training Board)• C-Skills (Construction Skills)• BSI (British Standards Institute)• ROSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of

Accidents)• RSPH (Royal Society for Public Health)

Site ProtectionFencing is used to:• Protect the public from the dangers of

excavations, holes and stacked materials.• Prevent vandalism and theft• Prevent access to higher levels.

HSE• An Improvement notice requires the employer to put

right something which is wrong, usually within 14 or 21 days.

• A Prohibition Notice. This requires the employer to stop immediately any activities which are likely to result in serious personal injury.

This ban on activities continues until the situation is corrected.

Tool Box TalkA specified meeting slot on site, where important information regarding site is given to employees.

Site Hazards such as:• Site developments• Plant and vehicles• New personnel• Extreme weather conditions

Record of attendance of these meetings will be kept by employers

Weather / Elements

Weather can have a dramatic affect on site safety.

• Wind• Rain• Flood • Heat • Snow and Ice

Risk AssessmentEmployers have to assess risks associated with any

task.

This is called a

Risk AssessmentRisk assessments are a careful examination of what

could cause harm to people at work.

Employers can then weigh up whether they have taken enough precautions, or should do more to prevent harm

to the workforce.

Risk assessments must be done

It is LAW

Risk AssessmentRisk Assessment

•Identify the hazards

•Decide who might be harmed and how

•Think about the risks and decide on how to prevent it

•Record the findings and put them into practice

•Review your assessment and update if necessary

Method StatementOnce the risks have been highlighted a

description of how tasks should be done is created, this is called a

Method Statement Specific instructions on how to do a task in

the safest way minimising injuries and ill health.