Health & Safety

Question 1

Relevant H&S Legislation

Answer 1

Health & Safety at Work Act 1974
PPE at Work Regulation 1992 (amended 2022)
CDM 2015
Construction Logistics of Community Safety
Work Related Road Risk

Question 2

What is HSWA 1974

Answer 2

primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in Great Britain. It sets out the general duties which:
- employers have towards employees and members of the public
- employees have to themselves and to each other
- certain self-employed have towards themselves and others

Question 3

What are PPE at work regulations 1992 (amended 2022)

Answer 3

Part of the HSWA 1974. Where an employer finds PPE to be necessary after a risk assessment, they have a duty to provide it free of charge. The 2022 update extend employers’ and employees’ duties regarding personal protective equipment (PPE) to limb (b) workers (casual employment workers).

Question 4

What does CDM 2015 state you should do to improve H&S

Answer 4

• sensibly plan work to manage risks from start to finish
• have the right people for the right job at the right time
• coordinate work with others
• have the right information about the risks and how they are being managed
• communicate effectively this info to those who need it
• consult and engage with workers about the risks and how they are being managed

Question 5

What are CLOCS & WRRR

Answer 5

CLOCS is a national Standard that requires all stakeholders in construction to take responsibility for health & safety beyond the hoardings. It demands collaborative action to prevent fatal or serious collisions between vehicles servicing construction projects and vulnerable road users: pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists.
Our suppliers must all have a minimum FORS rating of silver and must comply with our WRRR requirements. My role is to check the correct certification is in place for all suppliers/ contractors.

Question 6

H&S evaluation criteria for inclusion in tender

Answer 6

Health & safety procedures in place to mitigate specific H&S risks associated with the works
Completion of a QUENSH Menu

Question 7

What is a QUENSH Menu, why is it useful/ important?

Answer 7

QUENSH Menu is to control risk down the supply chain for contracted work on LU Operational Property or other LU premises.
It is a tool to identify and apply Contract QUENSH Condition requirements to particular packages of work; and so, that the supplier is provided with adequate information on applicable standards and requirements.

Question 8

What types of certificate might visitors to site require, how is safety ensured.

Answer 8

Track cert & sentinel for PAS/ LU sites, most need CSCS.
All should have induction/ be showed around site by qualified individual.
Correct PPE should be worn

Question 9

What types of PPE are there

Answer 9

Full PPE is usually the requirement on site:
Hard hat
Steel toe boots
Hi-vis- (jacket & trousers)
Goggles
Gloves
(Dusk mask & ear defenders on occasion depending on works taking place)

Question 10

What is an F10 submission, what does it include, why is it required

Answer 10

F10 submission is a document that notifies the HSE of a project. As per CDM 2015 regs a notifiable project is any project that is either over 30 days duration, has over 20 people onsite at one time or has over 500 persons days.
It identifies the roles & responsibilities of principle contract, designer, client etc. as per CDM

Question 11

How is CDM 2015 structured?

Answer 11

CDM is divided into 5 parts
Part 1- application of CDM and definitions
Part 2- duties of clients for all construction projects.
Part 3- health and safety duties and roles of other duty holders, including: Designers, Principal designers, Principal contractors, Contractors
Part 4- general requirements for all construction sites
Part 5- transitional arrangements and revocations

Question 12

What were the amendments made to CDM in 2015

Answer 12

• Simplified structure
• Client responsibilities broadened
• Exemption for Domestic Clients removed
• Role of CDM Coordinator removed
• New role added for Principal Designer to plan and manage the pre-construction phase
• The requirement to check competence replace with skill and knowledge
• Threshold for appointing Principal Contractor & Principal Designer changed to any contract with more than one contractor

Question 13

Role of the QS under CDM 2015

Answer 13

CDM typically makes reference to a QS under the role of the Designer.

Question 14

My obligations under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974

Answer 14

• Following the guidelines set out in training
• Taking reasonable care of their own safety, and those around them
• Co-operating with their employer on matters relating to health and safety
• Informing their employer or supervisor of anything that could jeopardise workplace safety

Question 15

On your project what measures were taken to ensure good standards of H&S?

Answer 15

• risk assessments
• PPE
• Site Inductions
• Site rules
• Reporting of visible risks

Question 16

What does RIDDOR stand for?

Answer 16

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations

Question 17

How to manage hazardous substances on projects

Answer 17

• identify and hazardous substances/ risk of in the risk assessments
• appropriate handling/ methodology for working with or around hazardous substance should be included in the method statement (identifying additional PPE, clear labelling of materials that may be hazardous)

Question 18

What is the Building Safety Act 2022?

Answer 18

• aims to reform building safety legislation and is a direct result of the Grenfell tragedy
• Building Safety Act 2022 came into force from 1st April 2023 and introduces new duties for the management of fire and building safety in high-rise residential buildings.

Question 19

Building Safety Act update

Answer 19

As of 1st October 2023, the new regime of the Act came into law, including

• changes to the requirements for higher-risk buildings with a requirement for the ‘Golden Thread of Information’,
• increased responsibilities for building owners,
• changes to the fire safety legislation.

Further updates will also come into effect from 1st April 2024

Question 20

When does the Building Safety Act 2022 apply?

Answer 20

• new or existing occupied buildings over 18 metres high or seven storeys or more, which contain at least two residential units.
• The design, refurbishment, and construction requirements also apply to care homes and hospitals meeting the same height threshold.

Question 21

What is the RICS Safe Person Concept

Answer 21

Detailed in the RICS Surveying Safely Guidance RICS considers the concept of a ‘safe person’ to mean that each individual assumes individual behavioural responsibility for their own, their colleagues’ and others’ health and safety while at work.

Question 22

What are the building regulations?

Answer 22

• Building Regulations set standards for the design and construction of buildings to ensure the safety and health for people
• To help people to comply with them the Government produces Approved Documents which offer guidance and show ways of achieving compliance.

Question 23

Building Safety Act 2022 (2024 Update)

Answer 23

• Limitation period- Where a party failed to comply with their duty, an aggrieved homeowner could bring a claim up to 30 years after completion for claims arising before the act came into force in June 2022, and 15 years for claims arising after the act came into force
• Building Liability Orders- make an “associate” company responsible for the liability of a defendant company. A party can now pursue parent companies or related corporate entities that may have deeper pockets than the defendant company
• Construction products- focus of the act is on products that are “inherently defective”, or where a party marketing or supplying a product makes a “misleading statement”. Allows someone to make a claim against a manufacturer or supplier where there might otherwise be no contractual relationship or duty of care owed.

Question 24

Why are H&S regs important?

Answer 24

HSWA 1974- ensures that all employers provide a safe working environment and look out for the health of their employees

PPE 1992- places legal obligation on employers to provide the necessary ppe

CDM 2015- Make construction work safer by placing duties on virtually everyone involved with construction work

Question 25

What should you do if attending a derelict site by yourself?

Answer 25

1. Carry out a pre-assessment of the likely hazards on the site.
2. Consider how you are going to travel to and from the site.
3. Take the appropriate PPE
4. Tell others you are going to site and the likely time you will return.
5. Assess the condition of the site, if unsafe do not enter.
6. Assess if the site is occupied, if so you may have to inform them of your visit.
7. Is there the likeliness of any Dangerous substances, COSHH etc.
8. Only enter if there is no risk to your safety and wellbeing.

Question 26

What is the Health and Safety Executive?

Answer 26

A national independent watchdog for work-related health, safety and illness. It acts in the public interest to reduce work-related death and serious injury across Great Britain.