Construction
Risk training and consultancy
Norwich Union Risk Services is the specialist division of Norwich Union, dedicated to minimising risk for businesses and offers training and consultancy services on a range of health and safety and environmental issues. Our aim is to work with you and your clients providing you with the skills and knowledge to understand your risks and establishing systematic controls to comply with legal obligations.
The following are a list of areas to be aware of, when dealing within the construction industry.
- Public Liability
- Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM regulations)
- Working at Height
- Excavations and Confined Spaces
- Demolition Work
- Working Adjacent to the Public Highway
- Hazardous Substances
- Tools and equipment
- Mobile plant, lifting equipment and site transport
- Electricity on site
Public Liability
Risks to both the general public and your client's employees are significant in the construction industry. Injuries can occur from falling objects, falls into excavations and contact with substances released by construction work such as asbestos. Basic, but vital, safeguards include fencing and securing the site at the end of the working day, along with removal of ladders and keys for mobile plant. Construction sites are a target for thieves and children, therefore materials which could prove attractive to them should be kept in a secured area.
Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM regulations)
These regulations apply to many construction activities, including some building repair and maintenance work. CDM Applies to all demolition activities. Key personnel must be appointed to ensure that safety critical measures are implemented and monitored throughout the duration of the project.
The regulations require that the competence of such key personnel is assessed and that the health and safety documentation (such as health and safety plans and a health and safety file) is prepared and checked at key stages.
Working at Height
Falls are the most common cause of accident in the construction industry, including fatal ones. The key preventative action is to provide a safe means of access and working platform. Your clients should be aware of and follow all the following basic rules:
Ladders;
must be regarded purely as a means of access, not a place of work. They must be subject to regular inspection, be properly secured when in use (for example by tying off) and rise to a sufficient height above their landing place.
Scaffolds;
must be erected by a competent person, be subject to a statutory inspection at least once every 7 days and be designed for the load placed on them. They must also have working platforms which are closely boarded, be provided with guard rails and toe boards, have adequate footings and be tied in to the building to prevent collapse.
Tower scaffolds;
have the same legal requirements as other scaffolds but the maximum height, with outriggers, must not exceed the manufacturer's guidance and wheels must be locked whilst the tower is in use and not moved whilst someone is working on it.
Mobile elevated working platforms;
must be located on firm level ground, with stabilisers and operators wearing fall arrest equipment which is secured within the working platform. For people working on roofs, edge protection must be provided around both flat and pitched roofs to prevent falls. Where work takes place on fragile roofs, or roofs with fragile areas, crawling boards or roof ladders must be provided and used.
Excavations and Confined Spaces
A high proportion of accidents in excavations are fatal. Precautions must be taken to prevent trench collapse, for example by supporting trench sides or battering them back to a safe angle. Edge protection and blocks should also be provided to prevent people and vehicles falling into the trench. They must also be regularly inspected by a competent person.
Precautions are required when digging a trench to avoid contact with live electrical cables and other services. Information must be obtained from the local utility company and a cable-detecting tool should also be used.
Demolition Work
Risks in demolition arise from the materials and substances found in buildings such as lead or asbestos, contact with services such as gas and electricity and unintended collapse of parts of the structure. Demolition is subject to the requirements of the CDM Regulations and therefore a safety plan must be prepared before work starts.
Working Adjacent to the Public Highway
There is a legal requirement for adequate signing, lighting and guarding of works carried out on the highway - to protect both the public and the site itself.
Hazardous Substances
Construction and building maintenance workers are the group most at risk from asbestos related diseases due to the possibility of disturbing asbestos materials in the course of their work. Building owners should provide information on where asbestos is within their premises and clear procedures need to be established for action in the event that a material likely to contain asbestos is disturbed. Clients should be aware that the removal of most types of asbestos-containing materials must only be carried out by licensed contractors.
Tools and equipment
Noise and vibration are common consequences from using equipment on a construction site. Suitable hearing protection must be provided and measures taken to reduce noise and vibration to a minimum (for example by correctly maintaining equipment, selecting quieter types and closing covers on generators).
Dangerous parts of machinery must be guarded as far as practicable and operators properly trained.
Mobile plant, lifting equipment and site transport
Vehicles and plant must be properly maintained and drivers / operators trained to operate the plant. Care must be taken that loads are secure and that vehicles are not used on hazardous slopes. Passengers must never be carried on site vehicles. Routes for site transport should be planned and contractor's vehicles parked so that roadways are not obstructed. Any lifting equipment must be sufficiently strong, stable and suitable for the proposed use.
Before lifting equipment is used for the first time it must be thoroughly examined, and then re-examined at least annually or at intervals laid down in an examination scheme drawn up by a competent person.
Electricity on site
The risks of contacting buried services in excavations have been mentioned above. Additionally, where there are overhead cables care must be taken that potential conductors, such as the jib of a crane, do not approach within 15 metres of a live line.
An electrical supply should be provided on site before work starts and construction workers should use low voltage tools to reduce the risks from electric shock.
