CONSTRUCTION &

BUILT ENVIRONMENT
LEVEL 3
Unit 1. Health , Safety and welfare in
construction and the Built Environment
LEGISLATION 2
 The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Specific responsibilities are listed in the HASAWA under the

general duties to employees and are as follows:
1. To ensure the health and safety of all employees.
2. To provide safe systems of work, safe handling, storage and
transport, information training and supervision, a safe place
of work access and a safe environment.
3. To provide a health and safety policy if there are five or more
employees.
4. To observe the regulations on union appointed safety
representatives.
5. To consult and cooperate with employees on safety
measures.
6. To observe the regulations on safety committees.
7. Not to charge for anything provided for safety.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

Health & Safety Executive

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) was set up to
regulate and control health and safety .
• HSE has many divisions that cover industries from
nuclear power, agriculture, railways, construction etc.
• HSE has a wide role to play in controlling health and
safety in construction. Its responsibilities are:
 to advise
 to inspect
 to enforce. Health & Safety Executive is a body set up
by the Health and Safety Commission acting
under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
 The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
• HSE is empowered to inspect any construction site that has been notified to it
under the notification rules associated with the F10.

An official form that is completed by the contractor and sent to the HSE to advise it that works are about to commence. It contains:
Work description, site location, duration and who will be working on it.

• The HSE can enforce health and safety legislation in two ways:
 By an improvement notice

It tells the receiver that an incident has been found during an inspection that requires correcting within a certain time
as it has the potential to cause harm (although is not currently serious enough to cause immediate injury).

 Prohibition notice.
Is served when there is a serious and imminent danger to persons who might be harmed. Work or activity is stopped
immediately and cannot be restarted until the defect is corrected.

• The HSE offers and promotes health and safety information.

• The HSE also carries out extensive inspections and investigations following
an accident, especially fatal accidents.
 Construction (Design and Management) Regulation (CDM) 2015
• It explains the duties of individuals; what they should do to comply with
the law. Any actions taken should always be proportionate to the risks in
the construction project.
CDM duty holders:
The client

The person who will ultimately own the constructed building / project and
who pays for the work.

• The client have to make suitable arrangements for managing a project

which includes the appointment of duty holders , allocation of sufficient
time and resources.

• The client have make sure that:

 relevant information is prepared and provided to other duty holders.
 Make sure that the principal designer and principal contractor carry out their duties.
 Welfare facilities are provided.
Reference paragraphs 23–52.
Construction (Design and Management) Regulation (CDM) 2015

Domestic clients

People who have construction work carried out at their own

house or at the house of a family member that is not done as
part of a business, whether for profit or not.

• Their duties as clients are normally transferred to:

a) the contractor on a single contractor project
b) the principal contractor on a project involving more than one
contractor.
• The domestic client can choose to have a written agreement
with the principal designer to carry out the client duties.
Ref: paragraphs 53–56
Construction (Design and Management) Regulation (CDM) 2015

Designers

Is referred to those who as part of a business ;prepare or modify designs

for a building, product or system relating to construction work.

• When preparing or modifying designs, to eliminate, reduce or control

foreseeable risks that may arise during:
 Construction
 maintenance and use of a building once it is built.

• Provide information to other members of the project team to help

them fulfill their duties.
Ref paragraphs 72–93
Construction (Design and Management) Regulation (CDM) 2015
Principal designers

Designers appointed by the client in projects involving more than one contractor.
They can be an organization / individual with sufficient knowledge, experience
and ability to carry out the role.

• Plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety in the

pre-construction phase of a project which includes:
 identifying, eliminating or controlling foreseeable risks
 ensuring designers carry out their duties.
• Prepare and provide relevant information to other duty holders.
• Provide relevant information to the principal contractor to help
them plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety
in the construction phase.
Ref. paragraphs 94–115
Construction (Design and Management) Regulation (CDM) 2015

Principal contractors

The are main contractors appointed by the client to coordinate the

construction phase of a project where it involves more than one contractor.
• Plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety in the construction phase of a
project. This includes:
 liaising with the client and principal designer;
 preparing the construction phase plan;
 organizing cooperation between contractors and coordinating their work.

• Ensure:
 suitable site inductions are provided;
 reasonable steps are taken to prevent unauthorized access;
 workers are consulted and engaged in securing their health and safety;
and
 welfare facilities are provided.

Ref. paragraphs 110–146

Construction (Design and Management) Regulation (CDM) 2015

Contractors

Those who do the actual construction work and can be either an individual
or a company.
• Plan, manage and monitor construction work under their control so
that it is carried out without risks to health and safety.

• For projects involving more than one contractor, coordinate their

activities with others in the project team – in particular, comply with
directions given to them by the principal designer or principal contractor.

• For single-contractor projects, prepare a construction phase plan.

Ref. paragraphs 147–179

Construction (Design and Management) Regulation (CDM) 2015
Planning supervisor

Is an individual that is given specific roles and responsibilities on planning

the health and safety before, during and after the completion of the work.

• To ensure that the HSE is notified of the project (F10).

F10 The official document that informs the HSE The client’s and principal contractor’s names
that a company is undertaking a project. also appear on the form. Indeed, the latter
two have to sign it, which is then sent to the
HSE.

• To ensure that there is cooperation between designers if there is more

than one on the and that they comply with their duties, which are to:
 make the client aware of their duties
 assess the risks within the design
 provide adequate information on the risks (assessments)
• To make sure that the pre-tender health and safety plan is prepared.
• To advise the client.
• To check the health and safety file if is prepared and handed over to
the client.
Construction (Design and Management) Regulation (CDM) 2015

Workers

People who work for or under the control of contractors on a construction site.

• They must:
be consulted about matters which affect their health, safety
and welfare.
take care of their own health and safety and others who may
be affected by their actions.
report anything they see which is likely to endanger either
their own or others’ health and safety.
cooperate with their employer, fellow workers, contractors
and other duty holders.
Construction (Design and Management) Regulation (CDM) 2015

Key elements to secure health and safety in construction.

a) managing the risks by applying the general principles of

prevention.
b) appointing the right people/ organization.
c) making sure all duty holders have the information,
instruction, training and supervision that they need to
carry out their jobs in a way that secures health and safety.
d) duty holders cooperation and communication with each
other and coordinating their work.
e) consulting workers and engaging them in promotion and
developing of effective measures to secure health, safety
and welfare.
 Work at Height Regulations 2015

• Work at height means work in any place where, if there were

no precautions in place, a person could fall a distance liable to
cause personal injury.
E.g you are working at height if you:
 are working on a ladder or a flat roof
 could fall through a fragile surface
 could fall into an opening in a floor or a hole in the ground.
Working at Height Act 2005
Employer`s duties
• Plan, Supervise and Check
competence
• Before working at height you
must work through these simple
steps:
 avoid work at height where it is
reasonably practicable to do so.
 where work at height cannot be
avoided, prevent falls using either
an existing place of work that is
already safe or the right type of
equipment;
 minimize the distance and
consequences of a fall, by using
the right type of equipment where
the risk cannot be eliminated.
Working at Height Act 2005
Employee`s duties Designers & architecture`s duties
Management of Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1999

• It was introduced to reinforce the message of risk

assessment through the five steps to risk assessment.
• The index for the regulations covers:
 health and safety arrangements, e.g. • first aid provision.
 the surveillance of employee’s health, e.g. hearing tests.
 informing employees on safety aspects.
 judging the capabilities of employees, e.g. work at height
 risk assessment processes not to endanger employees.
 the protection of people under 18 years of age.
 provision for expectant mothers.
 temporary workers.
Management of Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1999

Employee’s duties:
• The employee’s duties under these regulations are to: use any plant or
machinery provided in accordance with any training in its use

• To inform their employer of a work situation that poses a serious and

imminent danger to employees

• To inform the employer on any safety protection measure or arrangement

that may be defective
Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996
This regulations were introduced in order minimize the high level of accidents that occurs year on year.
Employer’s duties

• That they should ensure that construction • The movement of traffic on

workplaces are safe.
• Measures must be in place to prevent
operatives falling.
• Falling objects must be prevented from
falling – by the use of toe boards, netting
or a physical barrier.
• The employer must undertake measures
with regard to excavations, their support
and prevention of people and plant from
falling into the excavation.
construction sites, both on and off,
must be considered
• Emergency routes and procedures
must be temporarily put into place
while the building is incomplete.
• Suitable welfare facilities must be
provided for workers.
• Suitable lighting and fresh air must be
provided to workplaces.

• Working above water must have special

measures in place to prevent an • To undertake some specific safety
employee drowning. inspections, e.g. scaffolds and
excavations.
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences
Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR)

• It imposes a legal duty on all employers, employees and

the self-employed.
• Under this regulations you must report death at work,
major/minor injuries that result in three or more days
absence from work, work-related diseases and near
misses.
• It is mandatory for all on-site workers to abide by these
rules.
The Control of Substance Hazards to Health regulations (COSHH ) 2002

• It covers the risks to employees and other people from

exposure to harmful substances, in connection with any
work activity under employers’ control.
• The main objective of the regulations is to reduce
occupational ill/poor health by setting out a simple
framework for controlling hazardous substances in the
workplace.
• • Some examples of materials which come under thism
legislation are glues, turpentine, thinners and aerosols
etc.