4.Health And Safety Flashcards
What can you tell me about the RICS document; Surveying Safely?
RICS practice standards, UK, Surveying safely, 1st edition, guidance note
This is a guidance note. It provides advice to RICS members on aspects of their work.
- Personal and corporate responsibility for property professionals
- Legal consideration and duties
- Assessing hazards and risk
- Property professionals’ place of works
- Occupation health
- Visiting premises and sites
- procurement and management of contractors and construction works
Members are not required to follow the advise and recommendation, they should note the following point
The guidance is based on health and safety law in Great Britain, which covers England’s, wales and Scotland.
This guidance seeks to consider health and safety responsibilities at both a corporate level (whether the organisation is large or small), and at the level of the individual property professional. It covers property-related businesses and identifies the moral, ethical and practical issues that confront property professionals everywhere, in all the work that they undertake
Can you give me an overview of what Health and Safety Legislation exists in the Australia and Victoria?
Safe Work Australia leads the development of national policy to improve work health and safety and workers’ compensation arrangements across Australia
As a business owner, you must meet the WHS requirements set out in the acts and regulations in your state or territory. You may face penalties if you don’t meet them.
Victoria (Vic)
- Act: Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)
- Regulation: Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2007 (Vic)
- Codes: Vic Compliance Codes
- Regulator: WorkSafe Victoria
Acts give a general overview of how to make workplaces safe and healthy. They outline your legal responsibilities and duties as an employer and business owner.
Regulations set out the standards you need to meet for specific hazards and risks, such as noise, machinery, and manual handling. They also set out the licenses you need for specific activities, the records you need to keep, and the reports you need to make.
Regulating agencies (also known as regulators) administer health and safety laws. They’re responsible for inspecting workplaces, providing advice and help, and handing out notices and penalties where necessary.
What, if any legal responsibilities do you have as a QS regarding H&S?
As QS I have a duty of care to use my professional knowledge and training to identify hazards and unsafe practices on site.
How can you as QS ensure the Contractor is adhering to Health and Safety?
Ensure a health and safety plan is included within the tender documents.
Ensure due allowances are included in the preliminaries documents for health and safety items.
How would you try to manage health and safety on site?
Using the hierarchy of controls I would first try to eliminate the hazard; use engineering controls to reduce the risk (such as plant and equipment); use administrative controls to reduce the risk (such as training) or finally, use protection equipment.
What is the process in the event of a major accident or fatality?
- Stop works and make safe,
- Do emergency response,
- Call ambulance and police,
- Call Ministry of Labour,
- Secure scene and take photos for investigation,
- Take witnesses aside,
- Assist police and MOL in investigation as necessary.
What edge protection would you expect for an operative working at height?
Guard rails provided at 950mm above the working height of the platform with an intermediate rail at 450mm. Depending on the work undertaken, brick guards may be necessary to stop items falling below, kick guards and potentially a lanyard tethered to a secure fixing point.
How do contracts deal with health and safety violations in Australia?
Australian standards form of contractors have particular clauses regarding heath and safety to protect people.
For example, in AS4000, Clauses 12&13 - protection of people and property and urgent protection, it requires the contractor to take responsibility to take necessary procedure to protect people, property, passenger, vehicles. It also deal with nuisance and unreasonable noice and disturbance. Superintendent can also take necessary action in behalf of Principal and contractor under urgent situation.
If the contractor fails to comply with an obligation under those clauses, the cost thereby incurred shall be certified by the Superintendent as moneys due from the Contractor to the Principle.
Which party is contractually responsible for management of health and safety on site?
The Contractor and the Employer.
How is health and safety managed on a national level?
Key point:
- Work Safe Australia
- The Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012–2022
- Union
- relevant organisations and communities
- Act, regulations
The Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012–2022 has identified the construction industry as a priority due to the high number and rate of work-related fatalities and serious injuries. Safe works Australia has set up the aims to reduce the incidence of serious injury by at least 30% nationwide by 2022, and reduce the number of work-related fatalities due to injury by at least 20%. The transport industry will play a critical role in meeting these targets. Since the Strategy launched, Safe Work Australia and all jurisdictions have been working collaboratively with the industry, unions, relevant organisations and the community to reduce traumatic injury fatalities and injuries in the transport industry.
Consultation, cooperation and coordination are essential to ensure the health and safety of eve one onsite. They are also a requirement for business under the model WHS Act.
Work health and safety duties:
At each step of the process in construction work, PCBUs are subject to certain general and specific duties under the model WHS laws. For example:
- The model WHS Regulations require the person that commissions construction work to consult with the designer of a structure about safety matters and to give the designer and the principal contractor for the project information about safety matters.
- A PCBU that carries out construction work must manage and control WHS risks associated with that work. It must also ensure that a construction site is secured from unauthorised access.
- The principal contractor for a construction project is also a PCBU and must be aware of the WHS duties that apply to all PCBUs that carry out construction work, as well as the specific duties that are imposed on principal contractors in that industry.
- Specific duties that apply to principal contractors include, but are not limited to, the duty to be clearly identified by signage posted at the construction site, the duty to prepare, review, keep and inform others about the WHS management plan for the construction project.
- Under the model WHS Act, the person with management or control of a workplace must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the workplace, the means of entering and exiting the workplace and anything arising from the workplace are without risk to the health and safety of any person.
There is a section in QCS which is similar to CDM in the UK, and gives responsibility to clients. In QCS it stipulates that there must be a ratio of 1:50 for safety officers on site. There are lots of other influences on safety. One of the main ones is the competence and perception of risk of the work force.
What’s the requirements for carrying out construction work from H&S perspective?
To be able to carry out construction work, a person must complete an introductory safety training course called ‘general construction induction training’. This is also commonly known as ‘white card’ training.
Under the model WHS Act, a PCBU must make sure every worker has completed white card training, including those who have completed training in the past but have not carried out construction work in the last two years. Once a person has completed that training they may apply to a WHS regulator for a white card.
A white card issued in one state or territory or by the Commonwealth is generally recognised Australia wide.
For more information about white card training, cross-border recognition, applications and renewal of white cards, contact the WHS Regulator in your state or territory or the Commonwealth.
Some types of construction work—such as operating certain types of cranes or carrying out scaffolding work—require a high-risk work licence.
What insurance would cover for your workplace in case of a work-related injury
WorkCover Insurance
What’s the work related injury claims process and what to expect?
Stage 1: Someone becomes injured or ill because of work
Emp’s Responsibilities:
- Notify worksafe
- Fill out your register of injuries
- Look for tasks that your worker can do
- Start planning for return to work
Workers’ responsibilities:
- Get appropriate treatment
- Notify your employer in writing
- Decide whether you want to lodge a claim
Stage 2: Decide if you want to make a claim
Stage 3: Continue to plan for a return to work
Stage 4A: If the claim is accepted
Stage 4B: If the claim has been rejected
Who is the H&S regulating body in the Australia?
Safe work Australian. In Victoria is Safe Work Victoria
How do you manage H&S on site?
- Include H&S in tender documents.
- Include H&S in contract documents.
- Ensure the Contractor has made due allowances in prelims for H&S.
- Site Inductions.
- Risk Assessments.
- Method Statements.
- Wear appropriate PPE.
- Stop unsafe work.
- Report Hazards and unsafe working.
