Unit 2�Construction Technology

Dr Adewale Abimbola, FHEA, GMICE

www.edulibrary.co.uk

Aim and Objectives

Aim: Addressing risk and health & safety in construction.

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Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

• Discuss the importance of addressing Risk and Health & Safety.
• Explain how Health and Safety regulations impact on construction.
• Analyse the way that construction projects address risk and health and safety.

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Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

M1 Analyse the way that construction projects address risk and health and safety.

Health and Safety Legislation - Introduction

• The UK government has produced a range of health and safety laws and regulations when undertaking construction of the built environment:
• to control an employer’s activities
• reduce risks and hazards
• ensure that all the construction workers are kept safe and secure
• Any construction works; minor works or large multi-million pounds projects, are bound by law to provide health and safety of all operatives and the general public alike.
• Employer (the general contractor), designers, manufacturers, employee or self employed (site operative) must provide and maintain a safe & healthy working environment.
• All these parties can be prosecuted for their ‘own acts or omissions’.

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Addressing Risk and Health & Safety - Importance

Worker Safety

• Protection of workers' lives and well-being is paramount.
• Minimises accidents, injuries, and fatalities on construction sites.
• Ensures a safe and healthy working environment.

Legal Compliance

• Compliance with regulations is mandatory.
• Avoids legal liabilities, fines, and penalties.
• Maintains the project's reputation and credibility.

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Reputation and Branding

• Strong commitment to safety enhances a company's reputation.
• Attracts clients who prioritise safety in their projects.
• Can lead to repeat business and referrals.

Reduced Costs

• Investing in safety measures reduces accident-related costs.
• Saves money on worker's compensation claims and medical expenses.
• Minimises project delays and associated costs.

Addressing Risk and Health & Safety - Importance

Improved Productivity

• Safe work environments lead to higher worker morale and productivity.
• Reduces absenteeism and turnover due to injuries.
• Optimises project schedules and timelines.

Risk Mitigation

• Allows for proactive risk management and mitigation strategies.
• Reduces the likelihood of unexpected incidents.

Client Satisfaction

• Clients feel more confident in contractors who prioritize safety.
• Ensures the project aligns with client expectations.
• Client satisfaction contributes to positive project outcomes.

Environmental Impact

• Reduces the impact of construction on the environment.
• Demonstrates corporate social responsibility.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

• Employer (the general contractor), designers, manufacturers, employee or self employed (site operative) must provide and maintain a safe & healthy working environment.
• All these parties can be prosecuted for their ‘own acts or omissions’.
• The HSWA is one of the main pieces of health and safety legislation in the UK. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37/contents
• The act is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in Great Britain.
• It defines the responsibilities of everyone in any workplace for ensuring that the workplace is kept safe ‘as far as is reasonably practicable’ and that everyone ensures they are working safely.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

Duties of the employer:

The legislation covers all the vital elements to provide safe environments for employees, including to:

• Take all reasonably practical measures to safeguard the health and safety of every employee.
• Formulate a health and safety policy if the workforce consists of five or more individuals.
• Establish secure work processes, encompassing procedures for handling, storing, and transporting.
• Supply employees with essential information, guidance, and training to maintain their health and safety.
• Engage in discussions and collaborate with employees on safety measures.
• Adhere to the safety committee regulations as required.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

• Duties of employees:
• Exercise due diligence for their own safety and the safety of others, such as maintaining clear walkways, adhering to general housekeeping guidelines, etc.
• Collaborate with the employer, including participating in training sessions, engaging in toolbox discussions, etc.
• Avoid any misuse or damage to work equipment.
• Appropriately utilise health and safety resources provided, following any provided instructions or training.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

• Duties of self-employed workers:
• Conduct their work in a safe manner so it does not affect anyone exposed to their work
• Provide any information relating to their work which supports the health and safety of anyone exposed to their working.
• Duties of designers and manufacturers:
• To guarantee that the design and construction pose no threats to health and safety during use and operation.
• Conduct testing and research on the functionality of designed objects to confirm their safety.
• Furnish guidance and directives for maintaining health and safety during operational activities.
• Verify that the installation, assembly, and operation of the designed item are carried out in a secure manner.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974

Health and Safety Executives (HSE)

• The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 also established the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) for the purpose of proposing new regulations, providing information and advice and conducting research.
• HSC's operating arm, the Health and Safety Executive was formed shortly after in order to enforce health and safety law, a duty shared with Local Authorities.
• The Health and Safety Commission and the Health and Safety Executives were merged into a single body, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in 2008.
• Their powers include: inspection, improvement notice, prohibition notice, documentation, investigation, entry, seizure, prosecution, advisory.

• https://www.construction.co.uk/construction-news/225764/roofer-prosecuted-after-worker-dies-from-fall
• When you have fully read the article, answer the following:
• 1. In the case study, identify the people responsible for health, safety and welfare on the construction project. What were their roles & responsibilities in this case?
• 2.What could have been done to prevent the employee’s death?

Group-assessment Task

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations [CDM] 2015

• CDM 2015 applies to all construction work. It outlines requirements for health and safety management on construction projects.
• CDM 2007 primarily focused on reducing on-site risks, while CDM 2015 emphasises early risk management and control in the project environment before construction begins. For example,
• Incorporate innovative permanent safety railings into the roof design;
• Design an efficient one-way vehicle system on construction sites;
• Integrate structural steelwork solutions that seamlessly accommodate safety net installations;

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations [CDM] 2015

• Devise structural designs that inherently facilitate fire containment measures during and after construction;
• Employ construction methods and materials that proactively mitigate adverse environmental effects throughout the project's lifespan.
• CDM 2015 reinstates the emphasis on proactively preventing risks across all projects, shifting from merely mitigating on-site risks, through meticulous pre-construction planning and coordination.
• At the heart of CDM 2015 lies the pivotal concept of continuous coordination throughout the entire project lifecycle (remember, a project encompasses much more than just a construction site), spanning from initial concept to project handover.

• https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/51/regulation/6/made
• A project is notifiable if it:
• Lasts longer than 30 working days and have more than 20 workers working simultaneously at any point in the project; or
• Exceeds 500-person days
• The client has the duty to notify a construction project. In practice however, the client may ask someone else to notify on their behalf.

Project Notification

• Working day’ means any day on which construction work takes place. This includes weekends, and a full working day should be considered if work is only carried out for part of the day.
• Projects with domestic clients now need to notify HSE if one of the two thresholds above have been met. This was not the case under CDM 2007.

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Project Notification

• The client has a duty before any major construction work commences on site to inform the HSE through a document called an F10.
• An F10 has to contain information on the following:
• Address of the site
• Details of local authority
• A description of the project

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• Details of the start date, duration, number of operatives working, number of contractors on site
• Details of principal designer, principal contractor, client, designer, and contractors
• Signed and dated declaration

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Project Notification – Railway & Nuclear Site

• Minimum welfare facilities required for construction sites
• https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/51/schedule/2/made

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• The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), now Office of Rail and Road (ORR), must be notified instead of the HSE for railway construction projects.
• The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) must be notified instead of HSE for construction projects planned on British nuclear sites or a new nuclear build site.

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• Use of risk assessment & method statement
• Use of BIM
• Site waste management plan,
• Traffic management plan.
• Health and safety policy

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Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Pre-construction Stage

• Preconstruction phase plan
• Health and safety training
• Accident and near miss reporting system
• COSHH assessment
• Environmental impact assessment.
• Etc.

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Use of risk assessment & method statement

• A risk assessment is the process of identifying what hazards currently exist or may appear in the workplace. A risk assessment defines which workplace hazards are likely to cause harm to employees and visitors. Example include COSHH risk assessment, manual handling risk assessment, etc.
• https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/3242/regulation/3/made

Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Pre-construction Stage

The Five Steps to Risk Assessment

• The risk assessment process can be broken down into five main steps, as outlined by the HSE (IDERR)
• Identify the hazards
• Decide who might be harmed by these hazards
• Evaluate the risks and precautions to be taken
• Record your findings
• Review your assessment and update the records

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Use of risk assessment & method statement

• Method statements are widely used in construction as a means of controlling specific health and safety risks that have been identified (perhaps following the preparation of a risk assessment) such as; lifting operations, demolition or dismantling, working at height, installing equipment, and the use of plant.
• Like risk assessments, producing written method statements is not an explicit requirement of the CDM Regulations, however they are identified by the Health and Safety Executive as one way of satisfying the requirements of the regulations and as an effective means of assessing risks, managing risks, collecting workers’ views and briefing workers.

Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Pre-construction Stage

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Site waste management plan

• SWMPs aim to reduce the amount of waste produced on construction sites and to prevent fly tipping.
• It provides a structure for waste delivery and disposal at all stages during a construction project.
• Companies will see significant savings from better waste management.

Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Pre-construction Stage

• SWMP will helps compliance with other legal requirements, e.g. duty of care.
• It will help to win customers. Green credentials sell.

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Site Traffic management plan

• It establishes vehicle routing and tests that vehicles can access and egress the site safely during the construction phase. This is typically in the form of routing plans, restrictions to timing of vehicle movements, temporary enabling works, and parking suspensions.

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Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Pre-construction Stage

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Construction Phase Plan (CPP)

• The construction phase plan records arrangements for managing significant health and safety risks associated with the construction of the project and is the basis for communicating those arrangements to those involved in the construction phase.
• The CPP is drawn up during the pre-construction phase by the principal contractor/contractor.
• It is a legal requirement on notifiable projects.
• CPP must set out the health and safety arrangements & construction site rules

Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Pre-construction Stage

• It is a fully functional working document which should be:
• Reviewed and updated as the project develops.
• Amended when further design work is completed.

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Health and safety file.

• The health and safety file should contain the information needed to allow:
• future construction work, including cleaning, maintenance, alterations, refurbishment and demolition to be carried out safely.
• Iinformation in the file should alert those carrying out such work to risks, and should help them to decide how to work safely.
• principal designer must prepare, review, amend or add to the file as the project progresses, and give it to the client at the end of the project;
• the health & safety file is drawn up during the pre-construction phase.

Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Pre-construction Stage

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Health and safety policy

• A health and safety policy sets out your general approach to health and safety.
• It explains how you, as an employer, will manage health and safety in your business.
• It should clearly say who does what, when and how. If you have five or more employees, you must write your policy down.
• https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/3242/regulation/5/made

Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Pre-construction Stage

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Use of BIM

It offers a collaborative way of working throughout the entire lifecycle of an asset, underpinned by the creation, collation and exchange of information.

• Talking/making presentations around models help construction stakeholders identify and reduce risks in planning.
• Modelling the site environment helps plan logistics, assure good access and egress, and  gain control of public protection risks.
• Using models for clash detection is very powerful in reducing time spent on site adjusting pipe runs and reduces exposures to risks of cutting holes in concrete for example:

4D BIM dimension - Adding a timeline, and animating sequences of construction goes a step further, helping designers to model many times, but build better once.

Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Pre-construction Stage

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• Qualifications, Training, and Accreditations
• Experience will always be a key requirement when applying for jobs, but health and safety practitioners need to be able to learn these skills from somewhere.
• Traditionally, there have been two routes into health and safety:
• Exam-based qualifications (HNC, HND and degrees)
• Evidence-based National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ)

Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Pre-construction Stage

Training and accreditations (such as the CSCS card scheme and apprenticeships) have embedded health and safety into the practical and theoretical application of work.

Some accreditations are often required to work in the construction industry. These will depend on the role you play within the project team:

CITB CSCS Card; SMSTS; NEBOSH; etc.

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Group-assessment Task

• Discuss how the following can help construction professionals to reduce risk and improve H&S in the construction industry.
• Health and safety training
• Accident and near miss reporting system
• Environmental impact assessment.
• CSCS card scheme
• SMSTS
• NEBOSH

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Collaboration between the Construction Team Members

• Effective communication between the various members of the construction team is an important method of integrating health & safety in the construction process.
• The following methods of communication can be used to review the safe systems of work.
• Site safety meetings: workers can put forward their safety concerns, thus contributing to safe systems of work.
• Safety committees which includes representative of all tiers of the workforce. Practical suggestions and recommendations to systems of work can be debated.

Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Construction Stage

• Confidential interviews or suggestion box with workers who has safety concerns.
• Toolbox talks where revised procedures are discussed.
• Safety notices in conspicuous locations on the site, such as notice boards, welfare facilities, etc.

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Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Construction Stage

Safety checklists

• Checklists are identified by a safety audit or inspection, which involves walking around the site and ticking off the hazards from the pre-set list.
• New hazards are added to the existing checklist to build up a more comprehensive checklist.

[https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ck4.pdf]

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Use of PPE

• PPE is the personal protective equipment that will protect the user against health or safety risks
• PPE can include items such as safety helmets, gloves, eye protection, hazmat suits, high-visibility clothing, safety footwear, safety harnesses, ear plugs, ear defenders and respiratory protective equipment (RPE).
• In appropriate situations disposable PPE may be provided; e.g. single-use coveralls. Employers have duties concerning the provision and use of personal protective equipment at work.

Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Construction Stage

Systematic Inspections

• Safety Inspections: means a regular, scheduled activity with comparison to accepted performance standards.
• Safety sampling: This is the technique of monitoring compliance with a particular workplace standard by looking at a representative sample only.
• Safety surveys: this is a detailed examination of one particular issue or topic, e.g. a structural survey, noise assessment, staff surveys (examination of workers’ opinions).
• Safety tours: this is a high profile inspection of a workplace carried out by a group or team including managers. The tour may be formal, but can also be informal - a walk round looking at points of interest (usually unscheduled).��

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Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Construction Stage

Safety inspection

Systematic Inspections

These inspections can focus on the four Ps:

• Plant – machinery and vehicles as well as any statutory inspections and examinations.

• Premises – the workplace and the working environment.

• People – working methods and behaviour.

• Procedures – safe systems of work, method statements, permits-to-work, etc.

These might be daily, weekly, monthly, six-monthly, annual, etc.�

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Use of BIM

• 3D + Time = 4D
• Better Communication for Construction Sequencing
• Better Site Planning & Logistics
• Better Analysis for Project Management
• Uncovers flawed logic in the Schedule because it’s visual

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Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Construction Stage

Emergency procedures

Procedures for staff and volunteers to follow in an emergency should include:

• raising the alarm and informing the public
• onsite emergency response, i.e. use of fire extinguishers.
• summoning the emergency services and continuing to liaise with them
• crowd management, including evacuation, where necessary.
• evacuation of people with disabilities.
• traffic management, including emergency vehicles.
• incident control.
• providing first aid and medical assistance.

• Review of safe systems of work; risk assessment & method statement.
• Review of the construction phase plan, health and safety file.

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Review of the health and safety file.

• Health and safety risks do not stop when the work finished on site. People will start to use the structure and equipment installed; clean and maintain it. Eventually, it may need to be altered or demolished.
• There could be many health and safety risks in the future use of the structure. CDM acknowledges this, by requiring this health and safety information to be passed on to the client in what is known as the health and safety file.

Addressing Risk and Health & Safety at the Post-construction Stage

Self-assessment Task (40 mins)

Analyse the way that construction projects address risk and health and safety.

Hint:

• Present at least four reasons why you need to address risk and health and safety concerns from construction projects.
• Present at least two health and safety regulations that mandates addressing risk and health and safety of construction projects (Refer to specific sections within the regulations; employee and employer roles).
• Present at least two ways to address risk and health and safety at the preconstruction stage of construction projects.
• Present at least two ways to address risk and health and safety at the construction stage of construction projects.
• Present at least one way to address risk and health and safety at the construction stage of construction projects.

[Ensure you provide the sources/references of the information].

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References/Bibliography

Darley PCM Ltd (2020) The 3 stages of cdm (from pre-construction to post-construction). Available at: https://www.haspod.com/blog/cdm/cdm-stages (Accessed: 11 March 2023)

Health and Safety Executive (n.d.) Planning for incidents and emergencies. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/event-safety/incidents-and-emergencies.htm (Accessed: 01 March 2023)

March, C. (2017) Construction management – theory and practice. London: Routledge.

Morton, R. (2002) Construction UK: Introduction to the industry. Oxford: Blackwell Science.

Pearson (2017) BTEC national construction student book. London: Pearson.

Safety & Health Practitioner (2023) PPE: complete guide to personal protective equipment.

Available at: https://www.shponline.co.uk/ppe-personal-protective-equipment/ (Accessed: 08 October 2023)