CONTENTS
Construction Site Safety
Introduction
Construction Site Safety was first published in
1982 and is now in its tenth revision. Its purpose is
to enable managers and supervisors at all levels,
along with safety representatives, to gain
additional knowledge about all aspects of health
and safety in the building and construction
industry. This is so they may be more effective in
compliance with their legal, moral and social
responsibilities and the crucial areas of accident
prevention.
Each of the 51 modules covers a specific area of
work and is a self-contained unit. However, some
modules are closely related to others and may
therefore be cross-referenced.
There are, in addition, five permanent annexes
which give information which, whilst not strictly
health and safety advice, may be helpful to
persons on site.
The presentation of the modules seeks to maintain
a balance between the requirements of the various
Acts and Regulations, etc., without quoting directly
from them at length, and the need to impart
practical advice on the safe implementation of
such legal requirements. By studying the
document users will, therefore, be able to obtain a
basic understanding of the law in each subject
area and of the ways in which work may be carried
out safely and efficiently.
Checklists are provided at the end of some
modules and, as well as being a reminder of the
key items, also form the basis of any safe system
of work.
Definitions
The Construction Regulations and the Health
Safety at Work Act include words such as
‘approved’, ‘lifting gear’, ‘scaffold’, etc. These
terms are clearly defined in legislation. Other terms
such as ‘risk’, ‘hazard’, ‘danger’, ‘competent
person’ and ‘practicable’ are not so defined.
© Construction Industry Training Board
Notes for Users
The following definitions, based on those used in
the courts, are suggested.
Risk
The likelihood that a specified undesired event will
occur, due to the realisation of a hazard by, or
during, work activities or by the products and
services created by work activities.
Hazard
The potential to cause harm, including ill health
and injury; damage to property, plant, products or
to the environment; production losses or increased
liabilities.
Danger
A person is in danger when they are exposed to a
risk. The degree of danger is dependent on the
hazard or risk.
Competent person
A person who has practical and theoretical
knowledge and actual experience of what they are
to examine or inspect etc., so as to enable them to
detect errors, defects, faults or weaknesses, which
it is the purpose of the examination or inspection
to discover; and to assess the importance of any
such discovery.
Practicable
Practicable means that it is capable of being done,
even though it may be difficult, inconvenient or
expensive.
Reasonably practicable
Reasonably practicable implies that a calculation
of cost versus risk may be made. If the risk of an
accident or injury is insignificant or very small, but
the cost of prevention in terms of money, time or
trouble is very high, then it may not be reasonably
practicable to take that precaution.
GE 700
May 2000
CONTENTS FIRST PAGE

Note
Whenever Acts or Regulations are being studied,
attention should be paid to the section entitled
‘Interpretation’, where definitions and other
important provisions may be listed and explained.
Further definitions can be found in the relevant
section of British Standards as are indicated within
the text of each module.

Acknowledgements
Acknowledgement is made to the following
organisations for their permission to reproduce
copyright material:
British Standards Institution
Calor Gas Ltd
Health and Safety Executive
and to the many people who assisted in the
production of material for this publication.
Crown copyright material is reproduced with the
permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s
Stationery Office.

GE 700 on CD-ROM
GE 700 can be purchased on CD-ROM. Please
telephone CITB Publications Sales on 01485
577800 for details.