Health and safety in construction Introduction

1. Health and safety in construction Introduction

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3. Health and safety in construction Accidents at work

4. Introduction to health and safety • Some facts about the health and safety record in the UK Construction industry: • 13,000 accidents are reported each year in the construction industry. • These cause death, major injury or more than three days absence from work. • About 140 accidents annually result in fatality. • That averages almost 3 deaths every week! • 226 workers were fatally injured at work between April 2002 and March 2003. • 71 of them worked in the construction industry.

5. Accidents • What is an accident? • Definitions: • An accident is an unforeseen, unplanned and uncontrolled event. • An unfortunate event resulting especially from carelessness or ignorance. • Outcomes of accidents: • Accidents lead to injury to people, damage to plant, machinery and equipment or other loss. • Some accidents lead to serious injury, fatality or serious damage to property.

6. What causes accidents? • According to Health and Safety Executive reports the main causes of accidents in construction are: • falling through fragile roofs and roof-lights; • falling from ladders, scaffolds and other work places; • being struck by excavators, lift trucks or dumpers; • overturning vehicles; • being crushed by collapsing structures.

7. Accidents – cost to employers • Accidents can cost employers serious money, for example, through: • increased insurance premiums; • fines; • compensation claims; • damage to property or machinery – replacement costs; • loss of production – time; • loss of the employee’s time.

8. Accidents – cost to employees • Individual employees can suffer: • death; • serious injury; • pain and/or long term suffering; • disability. • Additionally: • Wages can be lost through employees being absent from work as the site may be closed for an investigation, or through personal injury and being unable to go to work.

9. Accidents - reporting • The law requires that all accidents are reported. • All accidents need to be reported and entered into the accident book. • Serious accidents and those where employees are absent as a result of an accident for more than 3 days must be reported to the Enforcing Authority (Health and Safety Executive).

10. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 • Legislation has been introduced to make us all pay more attention to health and safety. But legislation alone will not prevent an accident from happening. If we follow the rules we reduce the risk of an accident. • The rules are known as: • Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. • Legislation is enforced by: • The Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

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12. Health and safety in construction Health and Safety Executive

13. The role of Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) or the Local Authority includes: administering health and safety law; overseeing and controlling health, safety and welfare; visiting workplaces to check that people are complying with the rules; helping you to understand what you need to do; enforcing the law only when something is seriously wrong. Health and Safety Executive

14. Powers and duties of inspectors include: entering premises to examine and investigate; seizing evidence; measuring, recording, etc; questioning staff; serving notices, for example, improvement (remedy), prohibition (stop work); avoiding imminent danger – to seize and destroy; prosecute for offences. Health and Safety Executive

15. Health and Safety Executive • HSE must be informed of the following: • Start of any building work lasting more than six weeks. • Employment of workers for more than 21 hours per week. • Employment or transfer of young people (under 18). • Accidents resulting in death or major injury. • Poisoning or suffocation incidents resulting in medication.

16. Health and safety records • The following are examples of records to be kept on a site or in a workplace: • General Register for building operations and works of engineering construction. • Accident Book where all accidents will be recorded. • Record of any dangerous occurrences. • Register of all persons appointed to carry out specialist activities. Cont’d...

17. Health and safety records • Record of inspections, examinations and special tests such as scaffolding, excavations, lifting appliances and so on. • Register and certificate of shared welfare arrangements. • Certificate of tests carried out on plant and equipment.

18. Employer’s responsibilities • Employers have a responsibility to: • provide information, instruction and training for employees; • provide adequate supervision and safe systems of work and safe means of access and egress; • provide and maintain machinery and equipment; • provide safe handling, use and storage of materials and substances; • provide necessary personal protective clothing and equipment; Cont’d...

19. Employer’s responsibilities • produce a written safety policy (when an employer has 5 employees or more); • provide adequate welfare facilities; • consult with employees over health and safety; • have in place adequate measures for emergencies including fire; • provide first aid; • record and report accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences; • protect employees from noise which may cause hearing loss.

20. Employee’s responsibilities • Employees have a responsibility to follow the training and instruction given, and in particular to: • keep the workplace clean and tidy; • wear the correct clothing; • report any accidents or hazardous situations; • always use the correct and safe way of doing something; • observe any safety signs or notices; • co-operate with their employer; • not do anything that they feel is too dangerous or might harm them or others; • ask if unsure of anything.

21. Summary – preventing accidents • All employees can help prevent accidents by: • following the training and instructions given; • following the employer’s workplace procedures; • reporting hazardous situations; • keeping the workplace clean and tidy; • not fooling around at work; • using common sense and being alert; • asking when unsure of what to do or how to do something.

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23. Health and safety in construction Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

24. Why is legislation necessary? • Legislation has become necessary because individuals and organisations do not naturally adopt safe practice. Failure to comply with legislation (the law) may result in criminal proceedings. • Health and safety legislation in construction includes: • Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. • The Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 (HSW). • The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER). • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH).

25. Health and safety legislation Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 HASWA The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 COSHH The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 MHSW The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 PUWER The Construction (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1999 HSW The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 PPEW The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 RIDDOR

26. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 • The HASAWA oversees all other legislation and regulations. It is a single Act which enables and enforces simple rules and laws. • It has four main objectives: • To secure the health, safety and welfare of all persons at work. • To protect the general public from risk to health and safety arising out of work activities. • To control the use, handling, storage and transportation of explosives and highly flammable substances. • To control the release of noxious or offensive substances into the atmosphere.

27. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 • Creates duties for: • employers; • employees; • others. • This makes health and safety everyone’s responsibility.

28. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSW) • The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSW) covers: • risk assessments; • planning organising and control of health and safety arrangements; • health surveillance; • appointment of competent persons; • appropriate procedures for imminent danger; • contacts with emergency services; Cont’d...

29. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSW) • provision information for employees; • co-operation with fire procedures; • temporary workers; • new or expectant mothers; • protection of young people.

30. The Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 (HSW) • What the Regulations are about: • ‘Impose requirements with respect to the health, safety and welfare of persons at work carrying out construction work and of others who may be affected by that work’.

31. The Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 (HSW) • The Regulations impose requirements on: • employers, the self-employed and others who control the way in which construction work is carried out; • employees in respect of their own actions; • every person at work as regards co-operation with others and the reporting of danger.

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33. Health and safety in construction Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)

34. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) • The Regulations impose requirements on: • employers, the self-employed and others who control the way in which construction work is carried out; • employees in respect of their own actions; • every person at work as regards co-operation with others and the reporting of danger.

35. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) • This regulation applies to all work equipment. It sets the standard for the provision and use of work equipment in the workplace. • The primary objective is to provide safe equipment and ensure it is safe to use. The range of equipment covered by the Regulations includes: • dumper trucks; • cranes; • scaffolding; • mobile access platforms; • wood working machines. • hammers; • portable drills; • drill bits; • shovels; • wheelbarrows;

36. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER) • Employers must train staff in the safe use of work equipment. • Training must be adequate and include: • users; • supervisors; • managers. • The training must include safe work methods, possible risks and precautions to be taken whilst using work equipment.

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38. Health and safety in construction The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations (PPEW)

39. The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (PPEW) • These rules set out duties governing the provision and use of PPE in the workplace. • PPE means all equipment worn or held by a person at work which protects against risks to health and safety. It includes clothing that gives protection from the weather. • The PPE at Work regulations state that PPE must be supplied and used at work wherever there is a risk to health and safety that cannot be adequately controlled in other ways.

40. The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (PPEW) • This means PPE is a last resort and must be used where other precautions cannot reduce the risk of injury. • Whenever PPE is the only effective means of controlling risk of injury or health: • employers must make sure that it is available for use at work; • it must be supplied at no cost to employee.

41. Personal Protective Equipment • So why do we need PPE? • there are over 1000 airborne substances identified as being potentially harmful; • occupational asthma affects more than 70,000 people, with this number increasing annually. • People wear protective clothing or use protective equipment: • because they have been told to; • because it makes sense.

42. Personal Protective Equipment • The Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 1992 apply to all work situations. Its fundamental principle is that if you cannot prevent, you must protect. Therefore: • It is important to use the correct PPE for the job. • PPE must fit correctly. • Employers must supply suitable PPE. • Employees must use PPE correctly.

43. Personal Protective Equipment Ear protection • Remember that our hearing is easily damaged and this damage is permanent and cannot be reversed. • A Risk Assessment will determine when ear protection must be worn or will be required. • Report any defects with equipment to supervisor. • There are two basic types of ear protector: • ear plugs; • ear muffs.

44. Personal Protective Equipment Ear protection • Disposable ear plugs are usually made from fine mineral fibre, polyurethane and plastic foam. They must: • be inserted correctly; • be handled with clean hands; • not be re-used.

45. Personal Protective Equipment Ear protection • Ear muffs: • must completely cover ear; • must be sealed to the head by foam or liquid seal; • loose muffs are ineffective.

46. Personal Protective Equipment Eye protection • Eye protection is required by law if there is any possibility of eye injury, for example when: • grinding; • welding; • hammering ; • cutting. • Or when using: • hot metal; • chemicals.

47. Personal Protective Equipment Eye protection • To provide adequate protection goggles and safety glasses need: • strength; • effective seals to goggles; • resistance to temperature; • filters to absorb harmful light. • Carry out a Risk Assessment to decide the appropriate eye protection for the job.

48. Personal Protective Equipment Head protection • Construction Regulations 1989 require suitable head protection to be worn on: • all building sites (unless there is no risk of head injury other than by persons falling). • There are many makes of safety helmet available. • They must be manufactured to British Standards. • You must wear a safety helmet when required.

49. Personal Protective Equipment Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) • Employers must train their workforce to recognise when airborne hazards are a risk. • The choice of equipment depends upon: • type of hazard; • concentrations of hazardous substances; • length of exposure. Disposable dust mask Dust respirators

50. Personal Protective EquipmentSkin protection • Examples of potentially harmful substances include: • pitch, tar, bitumen; • cement, brick, stone dust; • tile, plaster dust; • paint, varnish, lacquer, adhesives; • wood dust, fibre glass, resins; • solvents, fuels, oils; • spirits, thinners, acids, alkalis.