Health & Safety

Question 1

What are the CDM 2015 Regulations?

Answer 1

• The Construction Design and Management Regulations are intended to ensure that health and safety issues are properly considered during a project’s development so that the risk of harm to those that have to build, use and maintain structures is reduced.
• The CDM regulations apply to all building and construction work.
• Domestic clients are not generally required to carry out their duties as these are typically passed to the other duty holders such as the contractor.
• For commercial clients they must make arrangements for managing their project to ensure that health and safety risks are managed in a proportionate way. Details of their duties under the regulations are listed below.
• The summary of duties for each of the parties are as follows:-
• Principal Designer:-
  o Plan, manage, monitor and co-ordinate health and safety (pre-construction).
  o Identify, eliminate or control foreseeable risks.
  o Ensure Client and designers are aware of their duties and advise the Client on bringing together the pre-construction information.
  o Provide relevant information to other duty holders.
  o Liaise with Principal Contractor in the planning management, monitoring and co-ordination of
  the construction phase.
• Client
  o Appoint competent duty holders.
  o Allow sufficient time and resources.
  o Prepare and provide relevant information to duty holders.
  o Ensure that the Principal Designer and Contractor carry out their duties.
  o Ensure welfare facilities.

Question 2

What are the key implications of the regulations?

Answer 2

• There is more focus on clients to put in place arrangements to ensure health and safety.
• Clients can no longer assign their legal responsibilities to agents.
• There must be a declaration of how long contractors will be given to plan and prepare for construction work.
• Clients are deemed to assume the role of the principal contractor for any period during which other appointments aren’t made.

Question 3

What items would you expect to find in the pre-construction information?

Answer 3

• A project description.
• The Client’s considerations and management requirements for hoarding, welfare facilities, traffic restrictions and permits to work.
• Environmental restrictions and existing on-site risks such as site restrictions, previous H&S files, ground conditions, existing services, asbestos surveys, contamination and unsafe structures.
• Significant design and construction hazards such as design risks assessments, suggested method statements, arrangement for coordination post contract design work and changes.
• Health and Safety File requirements

Question 4

What would you find in the Construction Phase Plan?

Answer 4

• A Project description.
• Processes for management of the works including site inductions, training, communication, welfare facilities, design coordination, site rules and emergency procedures.
• Arrangements for controlling significant site risks such as handling of deliveries, working at height, deep excavations, preventing falls, site segregation, maintenance of plant and equipment, removal of asbestos, reducing noise and vibrations and manual handling.

Question 5

What would you find in the H&S File?

Answer 5

• H&S information that is useful for the planning of future works or maintenance.
• This comprises:-
  o A brief description of the work carried out.
  o Any residual hazards which remain and how they have been dealt with for example surveys or other information concerning asbestos, contaminated land, water bearing strata and buried services.
  o Key structural principles for example, bracing and sources of substantial stored energy.
  o Hazardous materials used for example lead paint, pesticides, special coatings which should not be burnt off.
  o The nature and location of significant services, including under ground cables, gas supply equipment and fire-fighting services.

Question 6

What is an F10?

Answer 6

• The F10 form is used to notify the HSE of the project.
• It should contain:-
  o The address of the construction site.
  o The name of the local authority where the site is located.
  o A brief description of the project and the construction work it entails.
  o Contact details for the client and Principal Contractor.
  o It should give an indication of the time allowed by the client for the PC to plan and prepare for the construction work
  o It should provide a planned date for the start of work, duration of construction phase and give a number of people at work on site at any one time.

Question 7

What does RIDDOR stand for?

Answer 7

• Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.
• (RIDDOR) requires the ‘responsible person’ to notify any death, reportable injury, disease or
  dangerous occurrence to the HSE (on-line or by phone for death and serious injuries).
• The responsible person is the employer or, for the self-employed, the contractor or principal contractor.

Question 8

What incidents are reportable?

Answer 8

• Death and major injuries such as loss of consciousness or loss of a limb.
• Occupational diseases.
• Dangerous occurrences for example explosions, hazardous substances, structural collapse or collision etc.
• Gas incidents.

Question 9

What does COSHH stand for?

Answer 9

• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health.
• The regulations aim to avoid exposure to hazardous substances, or if not possible, to control exposure by measures that are proportionate to the health risk.

Question 10

What H&S precautions do you take when going on site?

Answer 10

I ensure that I have PPE and that I have had a site induction.

Question 11

Who do you inform that you are going on site?

Answer 11

• I sign in the attendance register and report to the site office to make them aware of my presence.
• I ensure my own company is kept updated on my whereabouts.

Question 12

What does PPE stand for?

Answer 12

Personal Protective Equipment.

Question 13

What PPE would you wear when visiting a site?

Answer 13

• Hard hat.
• Boots.
• Goggles.
• Gloves.
• Hi-vis vest.
• Ear defenders if required.
• Face mask if required.

Question 14

Have you passed the CSCS test, how did it benefit you?

Answer 14

Yes (if applicable to the candidate) - it made me aware of health and safety issues to consider when attending construction sites.

Question 15

What does CSCS stand for?

Answer 15

Construction Skills Certification Scheme.

Question 16

On the project described in your case study, what measures did you or your company take to ensure good standards of health and safety when either undertaking your work or delivering the project?

Answer 16

• Preparing work risk assessments.
• Wearing personal protective equipment on site.
• Adhering to contractor’s site rules.
• Attending site inductions.
• Ensuring health and safety was discussed at meetings.
• Reporting visible risks for example traffic management issues.

Question 17

What is a risk assessment?

Answer 17

• A risk assessment is simply a careful examination of what, in your work, could cause harm to people, so that you can weigh up whether you have taken sufficient precautions or should do more to prevent harm.
• The law does not expect you to eliminate all risk, but you are required to protect people as far as ‘reasonably practicable’.

Question 18

What are the 5 steps to risk assessment?

Answer 18

Step 1 - Identify the hazards.

Step 2 - Decide who might be harmed and how.

Step 3 - Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions.

Step 4 - Record your findings and implement them.

Step 5 - Review your assessment and update if necessary.

Question 19

What is the role of the HSE?

Answer 19

• To prevent work-related death, injury and ill-health.
• Provide support to the public and businesses with guidance, statistics and research.

Question 20

What are the powers of the HSE?

Answer 20

• Inspectors can visit site without notice, talk to workers, take pictures and samples.
• To issue written or verbal information and advice.
• Most inspections are planned to encourage good H&S practices.
• Some inspections are to respond to a complaint or follow-up an investigation.
• To impose sanctions including stop and improvement orders.

Question 21

What is your company’s Health and Safety policy?

Answer 21

• Prevent damage to property and/or equipment from our activities.
• Prevent adverse impacts to the environment from our ongoing projects or operations.
• At staff level:-
  o Take responsibility for safety and comply with safe systems of work.
  o Act responsively, report incidents and near misses.
  o Regular training refresher courses.
  o Risk assessments are compulsory for all projects with bi-monthly updates as a minimum. o CSCS cards are mandatory.

Question 22

What is the RICS Surveying Safely publication?

Answer 22

• The RICS guidance on personal safety at work.
• The document covers:-

1) General Statement-Employers / Employees have a duty of care under law of tort towards those who may be affected by their actions.

2) Safety of Employees - actions that must be taken by employers. Special duty of care towards young/trainees.

3) Workplace – Fire & First Aid provisions.

4) Hazards and Risk Assessment requirements.

5) Visiting Sites - PPE, Lone working, Access provisions.

6) During Site Visits -Key hazards assessments including structures, roofs and contamination.

7) Safety of you and others – Everyone is to take responsibility of their own health & safety.

8) Legal Duties - Criminal Liability and CDM guidance.

Question 23

What other guidance is available?

Answer 23

• The HSE has published a similar guide ‘Health and Safety in Great Britain’ but it is more generic and not focused on construction.
• HSE Five Steps to Risk Assessments.
• Managing H&S in Construction – Approved Code of Practice (ACoP).

Question 24

The construction industry is notorious for accidents and death on site and death; what measures are there to prevent this occurring?

Answer 24

There are various ways to prevent accidents on construction sites:-

1) Eliminate the risk of accidents occurring at the source for example assembly on the ground
instead of working at height.

2) Planning & programming of works.

3) Allowing sufficient time for the works to be constructed effectively.

4) Carrying out risk assessments, method statements & educating workers.

5) Training inductions & CSCS qualifications.

6) Ensuring safe working sites and access & egress points.

Question 25

Which accident kills the most operatives in construction?

Answer 25

Falls from height.

Question 26

What is the considerate contractors scheme?

Answer 26

• CCS was set up in 1997 & is responsible for improving the image of construction.
• It monitors all registered sites and ensures best practices are carried out in particular on items such as engaging with local communities and site cleanliness.

Question 27

What is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974?

Answer 27

• This is the primary piece of legislation governing H&S in the United Kingdom.
• It places a statutory duty on all employers to provide and maintain equipment and systems of works that are safe and without risk to the health and safety of employees, or others who may be affected by their undertaking.
• The Act aims to:
  o Secure the health, safety and welfare of people at work.
  o Protect others against risks to health and safety arising from work activities.
  o Control dangerous substances.
  o Control of emissions into the atmosphere.
  o Employers with 5 or more employees must have written health and safety documents detailing the organisations health and safety structure.