Chapter 6

Principles of
Control
WMSU

1
6.1 Introduction

• The control of risks is essential to secure and

maintain a healthy and safe construction site or
workplace which complies with the relevant legal
requirements.
• The principles of control can be applied to both
health risks and safety risks, although health
risks have some distinctive features that require
a special approach

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6.8 Emergency Procedures

• Most of this chapter is about the principles of control

to prevent accidents and ill-health.

• Under regulation 8 of the Management of Health

and Safety at Work Regulations, procedures must
be established and set in motion when necessary to
deal with serious and imminent danger to persons at
work.

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6.8 Emergency Procedures
• Although fire is the most common emergency likely
to be faced, there are many other possibilities, which
should be considered including:

 Gas Explosion
 Electrical Burn or Electrocution
 Escape of toxic gases or fumes
 Discovery of dangerous dusts like asbestos in the atmosphere
 Bomb Warning
 Large vehicles crashing into the premises
 Spread of highly infectious disease
 Severe weather with high winds and flooding

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6.8.2 Fire Routines and Notices
• Site managers must make sure that all employees and
sub-contractors are familiar with the means of escape in
case of fire and their use, and with the routine to be
followed in the event of fire.

• To achieve this, routine procedures must be set up and

made known to all employees and sub-contractors,
generally outlining the action to be taken in case of fire
and specifically laying down the duties of certain
nominated person.

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6.8.2 Fire Routines and Notices
• While the need in individual sites may vary, there are a
number of basic components which should be
considered when designing any fire routine procedures.

 The action to be taken on discovering a fire

 The method of operating the fire alarm
 The arrangements for calling the external fire and rescue services
 The stopping of machinery and plant
 First-stage fire fighting by employees
 Evacuation of the structure or site

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6.8.3 Supervisory Duties
• A member of the site staff should be nominated to
supervise and co-ordinate all fire and emergency
arrangements. This person should be in a senior position
or at least have direct access to a senior manager.

• Senior members of the staff should be appointed as

departmental fire wardens, with deputies for every
occasion of absence however brief.

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6.8.3 Supervisory Duties
• They should ensure that the following precautions are
taken:

 Everyone on site can be alerted to an emergency

 Everyone on site knows what signal will be given for an emergency
and knows what to do.
 Someone who has been trained in what to do is on site and ready to
co-ordinate activities.
 Emergency routes are kept clear, signed and adequately lit
 Arrangements for calling the fire and rescue services and to give
them special information about high hazard work.
 There is adequate access to site for the emergency services and
this is always kept clear

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6.8.3 Supervisory Duties
 Suitable arrangements for treating and recovering injured people are
set up.
 Someone is posted to the site entrance to receive and direct the
emergency services.

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6.8.4 Assembly and Roll Call
• Assembly points should be established for use in the event of
evacuation. It should be in a position, preferably under cover, which
is unlikely to be affected at the time of fire.

• In the case of small sites, a complete list of the names of all staffs
should be maintained so that a roll call can be made if evacuation is
necessary.

• In those premises where the number of staff would make a single

roll call difficult, each area fire warden should maintain a list of the
names of employees and sub-contractors in their area.

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6.8.5 Fire Notices
• Printed instructions for the action to be taken in the event of fire
should be displayed throughout the site and regularly updated as
work progresses.

• The information contained in the instructions should be stated briefly

and clearly.

• Instruction for the immediate calling of the fire brigade in case of fire
should be displayed at the site office, welfare amenity areas and
around the site as appropriate.

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6.8.6 Testing

• The alarm system (where required) should be tested

every week, while the construction project is under way.

• Where relevant the test should be carried out by

activating a different call point each week, at a fixed
time.

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6.8.7 Fire Drills
• Once a fire routine has been established it must be
tested at a regular intervals in order to ensure that all
employees and sub-contractors are familiar with the
action to be taken in an emergency.

• The most effective way of achieving this is by carrying

out fire drills at prescribed intervals. A program of fire
drills should be planned to ensure that all employees and
sub-contractors are covered.

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6.9 First aid at work
• People at work can suffer injuries or fall ill. It doesn’t
matter whether the injury or the illness is caused by the
work they do. What is important is that they receive
immediate attention and that an ambulance is called in
serious cases.

• The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981

requires employers to provide adequate and appropriate
equipment, facilities and personnel to enable first aid to
be given to the employees if they are injured or become
ill at work.

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6.9.2 Aspects to consider
• The risk assessments carried out under the MHSW
(Management of Health Safety at Work) and COSHH (Control
of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations) should show
whether there are any specific risks in the workplace. The
following should be considered:

 Are there hazardous substances, dangerous tools and equipment;

dangerous manual handling tasks, electric shock risks, dangers from
neighbors or animals?
 Are there different levels of risk in parts of the site?
 What is the accident and ill-health record, type and locations of
incidents.

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6.9.3 Impact on first-aid provision
if risks are significant
• First aiders may need to be appointed if risks are
significant.
• This will involve a number of factors which must be
considered including:

 Training for first aiders

 Additional first-aid equipment to meet the various demands on the
site.
 Informing local medical services of the site and its risks
 Any special arrangements that may be needed with the local
emergency services.

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6.9.3 Impact on first-aid provision
if risks are significant

• If sub-contractors are employed the principal/main

contractor needs to consider:

 Sharing arrangements with sub-contractors

 Information telling people who the appointed person or first aider is
 Ensuring that everyone on site knows through information and
suitable signage what arrangements have been made.

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6.9.4 Contents of the first-aid box

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6.9.5 Appointed persons
• As a minimum each site must have an appointed person,
who is someone that is appointed by management to:

 Take charge when someone is injured or falls ill. This includes

calling an ambulance if required.
 Look after the first-aid equipment, for example, keeping the first aid
box replenished.
 Keeping records of treatment given.

• Appointed persons should never attempt to give first aid

for which they are not competent.

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6.9.6 A first aider
• A first aider is someone who has undergone an HSE
(Health, Safety and Environment) approved training
course in administering first aid at work and holds a
current first aid at work certificate.

• Employees must be informed of the first aid

arrangements. Putting up notices telling workers who
and where the first aiders or appointed persons are and
where the first-aid box is will usually be enough. Special
arrangements will be needed for employees with reading
or language difficulties.

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6.9.7 Suggested numbers of first
aid personnel
• To ensure cover at all times when people are at work
and where there are special circumstances, such as
remoteness from emergency medical services, shift-
work, or sites with several separate buildings, there may
need to be more first-aid personnel than set out in Table
6.2. Provision must be sufficient to cover for absences

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Table 6.2

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6.9.8 Changes to first aid
requirements

• In 2004, the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations

and the Approved Code of Practice were reviewed and it
was decided that no new Regulations were needed.
However it is expected at the time of going to print that
two changes will be introduced in 2007 (likely).

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