Health & Safety Flashcards
What Health & Safety regulations are you aware of?
- RIDDOR.
- COSHH.
- Health & Safety at Work Act.
- Personal Protective Equipment regulations 1992.
- Working at Height regulations.
- Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
- Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals regulations 2006.
- Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.
- Construction (Design & Management) regulations 2007.
What recent changes to health & safety regulations are you aware of?
- Health & Safety (Fees) regulations 2012: material H&S breaches incur an hourly fee for HSE to deal with.
- RIDDOR: Over 3 days reporting requirement now increased to 7 with report within 15 days as opposed to 10. Records must still be kept of incidents over 3 days.
What are the key points of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974?
Primary legislation covering occupational health and safety in the UK.
The Act defines general duties for employers, employees and contractors.
To ensure the H&S of everyone at work.
The HSE is responsible for the legislation.
Places responsibility on the Employer to ensure Health, safety and welfare as far as reasonably practicable to its employees.
Examples: working at height, vibration, COSHH/RIDDOR, Asbestos, Head protection, Control of noise
This act saw the introduction of:
- HSE inspectors.
- Improvement notices.
- Prohibition notices.
- The act lays down general duties upon employers and those controlling work activities or premises to protect the Health & Safety of employees and others.
What is the HSE? – Health & Safety Executive
- The HSE is a non-departmental public body for health and safety in the United Kingdom.
- Responsible for the regulation and enforcement of health, safety and welfare in the workplace under the HSWA 1974.
- Conducts research, promotes training.
HSE Notice
Following an inspection by the HSE, the inspector may serve one of three types of notice: - A prohibition notice tells the duty holder to stop an activity immediately.
- An improvement notice specifies remedial action and gives the duty holder a date by which they must complete the action.
A Crown notice is issued under the same circumstances that would justify a statutory prohibition or improvement notice, but is only served on duty holders in Crown organisations such as government departments, the Forestry Commission or the Prison Service.
What does the HSE do?
The Executives duties are to: - Responsible for regulation and enforcement of HSWA 1974
- Encourage research and publication training and information In H, S and W related matters (i.e. slips, trips and falls, slip resistant floors, using grit on roads etc.)
- Propose regulations
- Advising government departments ie. Secretary of State
What is the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
Regulations relate to general workplace issues:
- Ventilation requirements
- Min. space
- Sanitary and washing provisions
- Emergency lighting
- Space for easy access to plant
- Lighting (320 lux)
- Min temperature 16 deg. Celsius
What are the CDM Regulations 2015 and its intention?
- Construction (Design & Management) regulations 2015 (replaced CDM 2007 and Construction Health, Safety and Welfare regulations 1996).
- Construction, Design & Management, it relates to H&S on a project.
- They aim to improve H&S in the construction industry.
What are the main Principles of the CDM Regulations 2015?
- To ensure that health & safety are properly considered during a project’s development (and for the end user) so that the risk of harm, use and maintain of structures is reduced.
- Identify hazards early on, so they can be eliminated, reduced at the design
- Introduced to ensure Client, designers, contractors and others consider the health and safety of those constructing, maintaining and demolishing the works within their role
- Principal Designer to lead this project
What does CDM aim to do?
- Provide a simplified set of construction regulations.
- Add value and minimise bureaucracy.
- Clarify what is expected of duty holders.
- Provide the flexibility to work across a range of construction arrangements.
How many parts do the CDM regulations have and what are they?
- Introduction.
- General duties.
- Additional duties for notifiable projects.
- Health and safety on construction sites.
- General.
Why was CDM 15 introduced? - Latest revision resulted from:
- View that the pre-construction phase was often bureaucratic and an add-on not always embedded in the project
- Unacceptable standards on smaller sites
- Simplification of the regulations to make them easier to understand
Summary of CDM 2015 changes:
- Replacement of CDMC with Principal Designer (Give the responsibility for CDM to an individual that has the ability to influence design)
- Now applies to domestic clients (previously exempt)
- Changing the threshold for appointment of Principal Designer, and Principal Contractor where there is more than one contractor
- Changing the threshold for notifying the HSE (F10 Notice) where construction work is likely to last longer than 30 days and there are more than 20 workers simultaneously at any point or exceed 500 person days
- Removal of the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) with more targeted guidance
The role of PRINCIPAL DESIGNER is analogous to that of the PRINCIPAL CONTRACTOR during the construction phase and includes:
- Assisting the client in preparing pre-construction information.
- Planning, managing and monitoring the pre-construction phase.
- Ensuring risks are eliminated or controlled through design work.
- Passing information on to the principal contractor.
- Ensuring co-operation and co-ordination.
- Ensuring designers comply with their duties.
- Preparing the health and safety file.
What type of projects do CDM regulations apply to?
Any type of Construction works as defined by HSWA 1974.
Who are the Principal Duty Holders under CDM regulations?
1) Principal Designer
2) Client
3) Contractor
4) Sub-Contractors
5) Designers
6) Project Manager
What are the Principal Designers duties?
Is a Designer who is an organisation or an individual to take control of the pre-construction phase of any project with more than one Contractor.
- Plan, manage, monitor and coordinate the pre-construction phase
What are the Client’s duties under CDM?
CDM 2015 makes a distinction between commercial clients and domestic clients. Client duties apply in full to commercial clients (for domestic clients the duties normally pass to the other duty holders).
Commercial clients have a crucial influence how projects are run, including the management of H&S risks.
Commercial Clients must:
- Appointing the Contractors and Designers to the project (including the PD and PC) and making sure they have the knowledge, skills and capabilities
- Allowing sufficient time and resources for each stage of the project
- Notify the HSE if a project is at threshold
- Making sure that the PD and PC appointed carry out their duties in managing the project
- Making sure suitable welfare facilities are provided for construction
- Provide Preconstruction Information to every designer and contractor either bidding for work or actually appointed
- Ensure the CPP is in place for the construction phase
- Ensure that the Principal Designer prepares the H&S file for the project and it is revised as necessary
What are the Principal Contractor’s duties under CDM regulations? Principal Contractor = more than one contractor
CDM 2015 Principal Contractor are responsible for managing H&S risks in the construction phase.
- Plan, manage, monitor and coordinate the entire construction phase
- Liaise with the Client and PD to ensure
- Produce a CPP – manage H&S throughout the construction pahse
- Ensure welfare facilities
- Ensure workers receive site induction
- Take steps to prevent unauthorised access
- Check that anyone they appoint is competent (knowledge, skills, trained)
What are your responsibilities under CDM?
- Check my own competence; am I acting within my limits?
- Make sure the Client is aware of their duties.
- Report obvious risks on site to the Contractor.
- Facilitate cooperation, communication, coordination and competence.
How does the Client evaluate the competency of the Consultants?
- Past experience.
- Pre-qualification questionnaires on health and safety information.
- Review the Principal Designer / Client CDM Advisor appraisal of consultant competence.
What is an F10?
It is a document submitted by the CDMC to the HSE to notify them of a Construction project; it must be displayed on the site notice board.
What are the main components of an F10?
- Description of the project
- Details of the Client, design team and Principal Contractor
- Time allowed by the Client for estimates for
o SOS date,
o duration,
o number of construction workers on site - Client declaration they are aware of their duties under CDM Regulations.
When do you complete an F10?
When a project exceeds the thresholds - you believe a project is to last longer than 30 days and there are more than 20 workers simultaneously at any point or exceed 500 person days
Who is required to send the F10 Notification under CDM 2015?
The Client for the Construction work is required to send the notification.
- The PD can assume responsibility, but only where notified in writing to carry out the Client duties.
- Domestics Clients - domestic Clients where the F10 notification is automatically passed onto the Contractor.
When must a Principal Designer be appointed?
From the outset of the project when appointing the Design Team.
What documentation is required by CDM regulations?
1) Pre Construction Information (Client duty – can pass responsibility to CDM Advisor).
2) A Construction Phase Health and Safety Plan (by the MC).
3) Health and Safety File iis provided by the Contractor who collates and issues to the Client (reviewed and approved by Client CDM Advisor).
What are the key implications of the regulations?
- More focus on Clients to put arrangements for H&S- i.e. submit an F10 notice.
- Principal Designer role so that H&S is more embedded into the design.
What is COSHH?
COSHH is the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health and is a law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health. Workers’ exposure is prevented or reduced by:
- finding out what the health hazards are;
- deciding how to prevent harm to health (risk assessment);
- providing control measures to reduce harm to health;
- making sure they are used;
- keeping all control measures in good working order;
- providing information, instruction and training for employees and others;
- providing monitoring and health surveillance in appropriate cases;
- planning for emergencies.
Substances include adhesives, paints, welding fumes, dust and bacteria.
What are the consequences of breaching H&S regulations?
- Enforcement notice – Improvement / prohibition i.e. stop the works, HSE fees.
- Magistrate’s court – Fine of up to £20k / 2 years imprisonment.
- Crown court – Unlimited fine / prison sentence.
- Corporate Manslaughter – Prison Sentence.
What is Corporate Manslaughter?
- A firm is guilty of causing a person’s death due as a result of how its activities were managed or organised i.e. it could have been prevented if necessary regulations were followed and precautions taken.
- Breach of a relevant duty of care.
What do you understand by the Health & Safety (Fees) regulations 2012?
Came into force on 1st October where for material H&S breaches, an intervention hourly fee of £124 must be paid to HSE by the party in breach to deal with the cas
What is RIDDOR?
RIDDOR is the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 – a law that requires employers, and other people who are in control of work premises, to report and keep records of:
work-related deaths; serious injuries;
cases of diagnosed industrial disease;
certain ‘dangerous occurrences’ (near miss incidents). Also some special requirements for gas incidents
Must be work-related – either at work or in connection with work (on site)
- The death of any person (Regulation 6)
- Specified Injuries to workers (Regulation 4)
- Injuries to workers which result in their incapacitation for more than 7 days (Regulation 4)
- Injuries to non-workers which result in them being taken directly to hospital for treatment, or specified injuries to non-workers which occur on hospital premises. (Regulation 5)
Report / Record
- Report when worker has been unable to attend work for 7 consecutive days as a result of the injury
- Accidents must be recorded when a worker has been off work for 3 consecutive days as a result of their injury.
- Dangerous occurrences are near-miss events (eg. Hazardous substance being leaked, which could cause harm).
The report must be made within 15 days of the accident.
Employers must keep an accident book under the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979 so that record can be treated as a record for the purposes of RIDDOR.
Who should report?
Only ‘responsible persons’ including employers, the self-employed and people in control of work premises should submit reports under RIDDOR
What records do I need to keep?
You must keep a record of any reportable injury (over 7-day), over-three day injury, disease or dangerous occurrence. You can print and/or save a copy of the online form.
Tell me about the Working at Height Regulations.
- Aims to eliminate / reduce / prevent accidents associated with working at height e.g. falls / falling objects.
- Prevention & arrest:
o Ensure staff are competent & trained – offer choice of equipment.
o Ensure works are planned & supervised – RAMS.
o Have emergency procedures in place.
o Prevent persons entering into dangerous area - Zone off to prevent being hit from falling objects – signs/barriers/guards.
o Install barrier e.g. scaffolding.
o Safety net.
o Harness.
o Lift instead of ladders / stairs. - Regulations for ladder use
o Works must be risk assessed / supervised.
o Inspect before use.
o Must not be painted. o Must not be over 9m. o Must be tied at top.
o Must extend platform by 1m.
o Must be at a angle of 75 degrees. - Scaffolding Regulations
o Must be erected by competent person – certificate.
o Must be inspected on a weekly basis & after high winds / bad weather / modifications.
o Staff must be trained.
o Additional protection must be included e.g. brick guards, toe boards.
What are REACH regulations?
- Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals regulations 2006.
- EU-wide regulation that addresses the production and use of chemical substances and their potential impact on the health of people and the environment.
What is AECOM’s approach to Health & Safety?
- The firm ensures that nothing we do presents any risks to the health and safety of our people, the general public or anyone affected by our operations.
- Based on controlling risks and hazards through conducting project risk assessments and regular health
& safety tests. - Recruitment policy designed to employ skilled professionals who are properly inducted and trained.
What documents safeguard Health & Safety over the lifespan of a project?
- Pre-Construction Health & Safety Plan – Completed by CDMC
- Construction Phase Health & Safety Plan – Completed by Contractor
- Health & Safety File – Completed by CDMC