Construction Skills Site Safety Plus

• Introduce GE 706 ‘Site Safety Simplified’.
• To Understand:
• The problems of the industry: accident record, itinerent workforce
• The structure of health and safety law.
• How the supervisory role fits in within the site management structure

• Exercise: pairs of delegates produce a short list of the things a supervisor does on site.
• Exercise conclusion to include the following supervisory key functions:
• leading by example
• communicationg the safety message
• ensuring the safety and welfare of people on site
• inputting ideas in to risk assessment and controls
• undertaking inspections
• maintaining records

3.1 Health and safety law

• Main areas of law:
• Criminal
• Civil
• Explanation of:
• acts
• regulations
• approved codes of practice
• guidance – HSE/industry

• Sections 2 to 4 and 6 to 9

• Criminal law, court powers (fines and/or custodial sentances).
• Power of inspectors
• Improvement notice
• Prohibition notice.

4.1 Hazard idntification

• Definition of a hazard: anything with the potential to cause harm, associated with:
• articles
• substances
• plant or machines
• working environment
• other aspects of work organisation
• Hazards: four main groups:
• 1. PHYSICAL:
• slips, trips and falls
• fire
• tools, machines and equipment
• electricity
• noise
• 2. BIOLOGICAL:
• micro-organisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi)
• insects (mites, parasites)
• human and animal waste
• sharps (needles, scalpels)
• 3. CHEMICAL
• liquids (paints, solvents, oil, etc.)
• dust and fibres
• gases and vapours
• 4. ERGONOMIC

HSE Five Steps to Risk Assessment

1. Identify the hazards: something with the potential to cause harm:

• physical
• chemical
• biological
• ergonomic

2. Establish who can be harmed and how groups and individuals:

• employees
• visitors
• members of the public
• lone workers
• young people

3. Evaluate the risks: consider control measures already in place. Are we doing enough to prevent harm? Do we need to do more? What is the:

• likelihood?
• severity?

4. Record your findings:

• Recording required only if you employ five or more employees.
• Significant findings (hazards and conclusions).
• Suitable and sufficient

5. Review and revise

• Ensure it remains valid and effective
• Must consider changes to workplace, people, equipment, systems etc.

• elimination/substitution
• reduction/control of source
• isolation (barriers/removal)
• containment (engineering controls)
• procedures, systems and training
• personal protective equipment (PPE)
• adoption of a safe method

• What is it?
• How can it be communicated?
• Contents
• Critical elements
• Who?
• What?
• Why?
• Where?
• When?
• How?

• Avoid risks
• Evaluate risks which cannot be avoided
• Combat risks at source
• Adapt work to the individual
• Adapt work to technical progress
• Replace dangerous with non-dangerous
• Coherent prevention policy
• Collective measures
• Appropriate instruction

• What categories of persons are deemed as special cases when preparing risk assessments? e.g. Young Persons.
• What are the considerations? e.g. enhanced supervison

5.1 Safety policies

• Main elements:
• POLICY
• organising
• planning and implementing
• measuring performance
• review and audit
• Health and safety policy – why?
• allows top management to demonstrate commitment
• Sets aims and objectives on how health and safety will be managed
• legal requirement (Health and safety at work etc. act 1974)
• Contents of health and safety policy:
• statement of intent: aims and objectives, resources
• organisation: responsibilities
• arranements: systems and procedures

• Measuring performance against:
• company objectives/KPIs
• HSE statistics
• How we measure:
• visual inspections/audits
• testing workforce understanding
• observing tasks being performed
• measurement records
• CSCS/CPCS card audits
• injuries, near-misses, ill health
• induction records

• What is the purpose of a permit system?
• How does a permit system control work?
• How can work be monitored and measured using permit systems

6.1 Noise

• Acute effects:
• acute acoustic trauma
• temporary threshold shift
• tinnitus
• Chronic effects:
• permananent threshold shift
• noise induced hearing loss
• tinnitus
• Other effects
• irritability (stress)
• affects concentration and efficiency
• causes fatigue and accident proneness
• masks sounds that people may need to hear
• Noise at work regulations
• risk assessment
• reduction to the risk of hearing damage
• reduction of noise expossure starting with engineering controls
• provision and maintenance of hearing protection
• provision of information and training for employees
• manufacturers and others to provide ‘noise data’.

• Control of noise at work regulations 2005
• Lower exposure action value (80db):
• carry out noise assessment
• make hearing protection available
• provide IIT
• ensure correct use
• Upper exposure action value(85db):
• noise assessment
• resuce noise at source
• noise must be reduced ALARP
• limit employees exposure
• provide hearing protection
• designate hearing protection zones
• employees duty to use control measures
• IITs
• Exposure limit value (87db):
• must not be exposed above this limit
• noise assessment (can take hearing protection into account)
• noise must be reduced ALARP

• Sources of vibration:
• prolonged use of rotating hand tools used for cutting and grinding etc.
• percussive hand tools used for chipping, riveting, hammering and drilling etc.
• hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS):
• vibration white finger (VWF)
• Reynaud’s phenomenon
• carpal tunnel syndrome
• Control of Vibration at Work regulations:
• daily exposure limit value 5.0m.s-2 is maximum allowable exposure
• daily exposure action value 2.5m.s-2 exposure above this requires assessment

• Types:
• White: chrysotile
• brown: amosite
• blue: crocidolite
• Properties
• excellent insulator
• easy to use
• fire protection
• applications:
• Asbestos cement
• sheeting
• walls and roofs
• Asbestos lagging:
• pipes
• boilders
• lofts
• Sprayed:
• structural steelwork
• boilders
• roofs
• Asbestos insulation board(AIB):
• walls
• partitions
• ceiling tiles

• Problems associated with drugs and alcohol in a high risk industry
• Depressants
• Increased risk?
• As a supervisor, what action would you take if you knew someone is under the influence of drugs or alcohol

• Dermatitis affects the skin and can produce symptoms that range from uncomfortable to severe health problems
• Irritant contact dermatitis
• Sensitising dermatitis

• Occupational asthma can be contracted through breathing in dusts, fumes, or solvents.
• It causes irritation in the airways making it difficult to breathe
• It causes chronic health defects

• Health monitoring can be a very simple check by operatives themselves or more detailed monitoring by a competent person.
• Health monitoring/surveillance is required by law.
• MCG Occupational Health Strategy and toolbox talks

• Anatomy of fire:
• Fuel: something to burn
• Heat: to ignite the fuel
• oxygen: to sustain the fire
• Types of fire:
• A Freely burning solids, e.g woods
• B Flammable liquids, e.g petrol
• C Flammable gases, e.g propane
• D Flammable metals, e.g. magnesium
• F Cooking oils and fats
• Electrical fires are not classified

• Risk assessment
• Responsible persons

• All workplaces have a fire prevention strategy and fire plan
• Management of highly flammable liquids, gases and explosive atmospheres

• Causes of fires:
• arson
• faulty electrics
• misuse of equipment
• careless handling
• incorrect fuel storage
• articles too close to heat source
• Sources of ignition:
• cooking appliances
• electrical appliances
• smokers
• matches
• blowlamps
• space heaters
• static electricity
• friction

• Every workplace must have means of raising the alarm
• Means of communicating the content of the fire plan
• means for fighting the fire
• safe means of escape

• What options are available for raising the alarm on a construction site?
• what makes a means of escape suitable

•  Emergencies associated with client’s undertaking e.g chemical spill or bomb warning

• COSHH
• Five principles
• The assessment of health risk
• The control of exposure
• Monitoring of employee exposure
• Health surveillance
• Information, instruction and training

• Hierarchy of COSHH assessment:
• eliminate
• substitute
• local exhaust ventilation system
• screening off
• reduce number of personnel
• reduce time of exposure
• PPE
• COSHH symbols:
• toxic or very toxic
• harmful
• corrosive
• irritant
• Harmful substances:
• Mineral oils(diesel):
• dermatitis
• oil acne
• cancer
• Chemicals (alkalis and chromates):
• dermatitis
• chrome ulceration
• Cement and lime
• chronic dermatitis
• Solvents and degreasers
• dissolve natural oils
• attack by bacteria

• Protecting the worker:
• Use control measures
• Use protective clothing and equipment:
• must be in good condition and cleaned regularly
• overalls, gloves, hardhats, goggles/glasses
• Use barrier cream
• proper application, limited protection
• Use welfare facilitites
• Personal hygiene, soap and water.

Risk assessment & method statements

Delivering effective toolbox tasks

• Preparation:
• Think about what preparation is required before the talk.
• Consider effective training aids you could use to enhance the talk.
• Reason for giving the talk:
• Target all on site who would benefit from the training.
• Get the attention of operatives as quickly as possible, be enthusiastic and give a reason that will personally affect the audience.
• Enhance your intention; make the audience more attentive by telling a dramatic story related to the subject.
• Formalise your talk by delivering in stages
• Decide on the key points that you wish to talk about.

• Delivery of the talk; your attitude is important, so apply the following to your teaching technique:
• Be positive: Know your subject
• Be firm: get the message across; don’t get side-tracked.
• Be confident: look at people; involve them in a two-way conversation.
• Be serious: health and safety is a serious subject so your overall approach should be professional serious
• Questioning technique
• ask the question
• pause to give people time to think
• nominate who you want to answer
• confirm by further nomination
• Conclusion:
• Allow yourself time to read through the relevant talk and decide which points are relevant for the operatives at your workplace.
• A good beginning and a good end are important
• Confirm by question and answer technique
• Don’t assume that you have all the knowledge on the subject
• Don’t be tempted to read all the information from the talk – choose stages which are relevant to your site.

11.1 Notification

• Arrangements of the Regulations, parts 1 to 5
• Notification

GE 706 Chapter 6

• Role of the client
• Role of the designer
• Role of the contractor
• Role of the principal contractor
• Role of the co-ordinator

GE 706

Chapter 6

• Part 4: Duties relating to health and safety on construction sites:
• Equivalent to the CHSW Regulations
• Applies to all construction sites
• Duties on every contractor and every other person who controls construction work
• Duties
• R25 Every Contractor or Principal Contractor must comply with Part 4
• Every person who controls the way construction is done must comply.
• Every person who works in construction has duties
• R26 Safe place of wokr
• R27 Good order / Security
• R28 Stability of structures
• R33 Reports of inspections (Refer also to Schedule 3)
• R34 Energy distribution
• R36 Traffic routes

• R37 Vehicles
• R38 Prevention of risk from fire etc.
• R39 Emergency procedures
• R40 Emergency routes and exits
• R41 Fire detection/fighting
• R42 Fresh air
• R43 Temperature and weather protection
• R44 Lighting

12.1 legislation (WAH regs)

• Work at Height Regulations
• Definitions
• Organisation and planning
• Hierarchy of control
• Avoidance of risk
• Risk assessment
• Hazards
• Work equipment selection
• Work equipment requirements:
• Guard-rails, toe-boards, barriers
• Working platforms
• Scaffold
• Mobile towers
• Ladders
• Stepladders
• Soft landing systems, nets, airbags etc.
• Competence

Chapter 5

• Definition of PPE
• Maintenance
• Compatibility
• Suitability
• Information, instruction and training
• Explain importance of provision of a demonstrable method of recognising supervisors on site e.g. distinctive coloured helmet or vest.

Chapter 16

• Definition of manual handling?
• Manual handling operations regulations
• Avoid manual handling
• Assess operations
• Manual Handling assessment
• Task
• Individual
• Load
• Environment
• Information and training

Chapter 17

15.1 Definition of accidents

• Definition and common causes of accidents
• RIDDOR notification and reporting requirements for:
• death
• over three-day injury
• dangerous occurrence
• major specified injury
• notifiable diseases

Chapter 4

Show and discuss the ConstructionSkills DVD ‘Shattered Lives’ (DVD070).

• Behavioural issues:
• Habits
• Building positive habits
• repeated exposure
• repitition and unconcious competence
• safety reminders
• motivation
• ABC
• Antecedents (20% effective)
• Behaviour
• Consequences (80% effective)
• Visual messages
• Lead by example
• First impressions
• 65% visual
• 25% auditory
• 10% kinaesthetic
• Repeat positive visual messages
• Verbal and non-verbal communication
• 7% words
• 38% tonality
• 55% body language
• Trance states
• Alpha sleep
• Automatic pilot
• Time v risk
• Choosing risk is most popular

• Don’t walk by/consequences
• Reasons: social, moral, legal
• Worker engagement and involvement
• Be aware of personal drivers along with worker’s personal drivers: how this affects others.
• Positive/confident attitude – be firm, be confident, be serious.
• Discipline