General Responibilities Flashcards
What should your site and employer do for you?
- Provide a safe place to work.
- Provide safe plant and equipment, safe substances and materials, safe methods and systems of work, and safe and competent persons to work with.
- Eliminate or avoid risks where possible.
- Tell you about the hazards and the risks and how they will be eliminated or controlled.
- Provide information, instruction and training so you can do your job safely and in safety.
- Communicate with you and allow you to have your say.
- Make sure suitable welfare facilities are provided.
- Make sure personal protective equipment (PPE) and clothing is provided.
What should you do for your site and employer?
- Make sure you fully understand and follow the site rules and your safe system of work.
- Avoid taking shortcuts or risks.
- Go to and take part in safety inductions and briefings.
- Co-operate and get involved.
- Make sure you fully understand and follow all method statements and precautions.
- Report anything you think is unsafe.
- Make sure you wear your protective clothing and use any equipment correctly.
- Report any damage or faults with protective clothing and equipment.
Health and safety policy
Your employer’s health and safety policy will give you the following information:
1) Explain how health and safety are managed in your company.
2) Identify what the arrangements are (what should be done and how it should be done).
3) Show who is responsible for doing what (including what you and your fellow workers must do).
Risk assessments explain the following:
1) The hazards of the worksite or task (for example, an open excavation).
2) The significant risks (for example, people falling in).
3) The control measures needed to minimise the risk to an acceptable level. (For example, erect a double handrail around all sides of an excavation, with a safe way of getting in and out for workers. Make sure excavations are inspected and that they have suitable barriers, warning signs and are adequately lit at night.)
Who should your employer assess risks for?
Your employer should assess the risks to both you and others arising from the work being done.
Method statements explain how the job is to be done safely. They will also identify the following:
1) The sequence, method and controls to be followed.
2) The materials and equipment to be used.
3) The number of people and the skills, knowledge, training, experience and supervision needed.
What is a permit to work?
- A permit to work system is used for controlling high-risk activities, or where there are activities that need extra controls.
- A formal, dated and a time-limited certificate signed by a properly authorised and competent person.
- Has strict controls and limitations that must be followed.
- Never start any job for which a permit is needed before the permit’s start time, and before the controls are in place.
The types of activity that need a permit to work system include the following:
1) Working on live electrical cables.
2) Confined space entry.
3) Hot works or welding.
4) Breaking the ground (permits to dig).
A construction phase plan is needed for every construction project.
It must be regularly reviewed and may be added to or changed as the project goes ahead.
It will give you the following information:
1) How the work has been planned with safety in mind.
2) How the site will be organised.
3) How people will work safely together.
4) The arrangements for providing welfare facilities.
What is Health surveillance for?
- Health surveillance allows for the signs of ill health to be identified early.
- May be needed if you are exposed to a hazardous agent or if your work may have an adverse effect on your body (for example, hearing damage if you are working in a noisy area).
- Lets your employer check that their control measures are working and that you are not exposed to any ill health that could be prevented.
Employers must carry out a COSHH assessment for the following reasons:
1) To identify the hazardous substances used in, or created by, a work process to which you and others will be exposed.
2) To establish the degree of risk to your health resulting from exposure.
3) To devise safe systems of work that either eliminate exposure or control it to an acceptable level.
Employers have a legal duty to consult with their workforce.
This can be done in the following ways:
- Site inductions.
- Posters.
- Safety briefings.
- Toolbox talks.
- Informal chats and open-door policies.
- Worker involvement schemes.
- Suggestion boxes.
- Health and safety law poster or pocket card.
What should you be told about (as a MINIMUM) in a site induction?
1) The site rules.
2) The site hazards (for example, overhead power lines).
3) Traffic management systems.
4) Areas of the site where you can and cannot go.
5) Welfare facilities.
6) Emergency and first-aid arrangements.
7) Personal protective equipment (PPE).
8) Permits to work.
9) Environmental considerations and any protective requirements. How you will be consulted regarding health and safety matters.
What are Toolbox Talks?
Short health and safety briefing sessions that may be on a particular subject connected to the work being carried out or that communicate other important safety information and advice.
In what ways can better Worker Involvement help?
1) Identify joint solutions to problems.
2) Raise standards.
3) Reduce accidents and ill health.
4) Help people to work safely and in safety.
