A guide to...

1. A guide to... General Construction Site Safety

2. Aim This training tool should be used to help educate everyone on the dangers of working in the construction industry and how best to assess risks and minimise injuries.

3. Construction Legislation The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) 2007 came in to force on 6th April 2007 and completely replaced the previous CDM 1994 Regulations and the Construction Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1996. The average fine issued to organisations that fall foul of CDM has risen considerably, from £1,800 in 2008 to more than £7,000 in 2011.

4. High Risk Construction Work By nature, construction work is high risk and must be controlled properly to avoid serious accidents. According to HSE, in 2010-2011 50 construction workers lost their lives, 2,298 major injuries were reported and 1.7 million working days were lost through work-related ill-health.

5. Construction Safety Case Study A bricklayer whose fingers were crushed in a workplace accident when he was a 17-year-old apprentice, leaving him with a life-long disability, has received £250,000 in compensation after a 5-year long legal battle. The 23-year-old from the Wirral suffered crush injuries to the index and middle fingers on his dominant right hand in 2006, after he tripped on discarded plastic bindings while carrying a 440mm-long brick on his shoulder. As he put out his hands to break his fall, the brick fell from his shoulder and landed on his fingers. He will never work as a bricklayer again but, despite his difficulties, he has retrained as a forklift truck driver. However, he is now limited in the type of jobs he can do. The firm admitted liability and settled the claim out of court.

6. CDM Case Study Two partners in a company that erected unsafe scaffolding, which crashed to the ground in strong winds, were fined £8,000 and £5,000 respectively. Both were ordered to pay costs of £2,040 in the case brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) at Exeter Magistrate Court. Scaffolding Systems South West Ltd based in Exeter, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 28(2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 after a large section of scaffolding erected by the firm at a builders' merchants on 25th March 2009 fell away from the building, seriously damaging a number of parked cars.

7. A Safe Working Environment • To help ensure a safe working environment for everyone, it’s vital that you: • Follow all health and safety rules that have been provided • Undertake work in line with provided method statements, risk assessments and permits to work • Report any accidents/near misses to the designated health and safety contact • Comply with all safety signage on site • Only operate tools, equipment, machinery and vehicles that you have been trained on and authorised to use • Ensure you use the personal protective equipment (PPE) you have been provided with, properly

8. Observe traffic management systems, including: • Pedestrian routes • Parking areas • Loading and unloading areas • One-way systems • Speed limits Familiarise yourself and comply with site-specific arrangements including: • Emergency procedures (fire and evacuation) • First aid provisions • Welfare facilities (toilets, fresh water, changing facilities, lockers, canteen/rest areas etc.) • Who to report health and safety issues to Traffic Management and Site Safety

9. Good Housekeeping • Ensure good housekeeping to prevent slips, trips and falls. A high number of accidents occur on construction sites due to workers tripping over rubbish and waste • Remove any material that could fuel fires • Timber or other materials with projecting nails must NOT be used for any work or be stored in any place where they could cause danger

10. Reporting Health Problems • Reporting health problems as early as possible will highlight the need for risks to be reduced with the necessary measures. Health risks can include: • Asbestos exposure • Carbon monoxide poisoning • Musculoskeletal disorders/RSI • Dermatitis • Respiratory disease • Hearing problems from exposure to noise • Hand-arm vibration • Stress

11. Site Welfare • Be aware of extreme temperatures. During the warmer months, hats and sun cream should be used and suitable clothing worn to prevent sunburn. In colder temperatures ensure that suitable warm clothing is worn and ‘warm up’ breaks are taken as agreed • Dispose of all waste in the correct skips/receptacles • Do not engage in horseplay/practical jokes • Utilise any provided mechanical aids • Ladders and Stepladders are to be used for access or as places of work ONLY when there is no reasonably practicable alternative and it is safe to do so • Only use scaffolding which has been erected by a competent person and that has been safely tagged to indicate safe use

12. Questions and Answers Q1. What does the following safety sign mean? Q2. What types of incidents should you report to the designated health and safety contact on site? Q3. What types of health problems should be reported? Q4. If you go to use a power tool and find that it is damaged, what should you do? Q5. When you arrive on a new site, what information do you need to know?