Science Health and Safety

Science and Materials
LO1 Review health and safety regulations and legislation associated

with the storage, handling and use of materials on a construction
site Regulations and guidance: Health & safety management
regulations. Design management regulations. Provision and use
of equipment regulations. Control and management of
hazardous materials through storage, movement and use.
Materials handling and installation: Risk assessments and
method statements (qualitative and quantitative). Materials
storage: moving materials safely; working in confined spaces;
working at height. Occupational health risks associated with
materials: asbestos-related and respiratory disease; dermatitis
and skin problems; musculoskeletal disorders; hand arm
vibration. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE
LO2 Discuss the environmental and sustainability factors which can
impact and influence the material choices for a construction project
Environmental considerations: Lifecycle assessment. Environmental
profile methodology. Environmental product declaration and
certification. Embodied energy. Waste management: the economics
and technologies of construction waste disposal. Sustainability:
Resource availability and depletion: renewable and non-renewable
materials. Reuse and recycling of construction and demolition waste.
Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP Environmental
assessment methods: Building Research Establishment
Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design (LEED). Green Star. Estidama, or other
forms of environmental assessment. Construction Industry Research
Information Association.
LO3 Present material choices for a given building
using performance properties, experimental data,
sustainability and environmental consideration
Material testing: Testing methods, interpreting test
data. Codes and standards. Structural behaviours
Performance properties: strength, elasticity,
toughness, hardness, creep, fatigue, porosity,
brittleness, density, thermal conductivity, durability.
Inherent material properties. Relationship between
material properties, behaviour and use
LO4 Evaluate the performance of a given
building in respect of its human comfort
requirements Human comfort provision:
Indoor environmental quality: thermal,
illumination, sound, ventilation. Thermal
losses and gains. Passive and active design:
design solutions, environmental benefit vs
implementation cost. Calculations of u-values,
lux levels, acoustic and ventilation.
Materials storage and waste management
• What you need to do

• The law says you must keep every part of your
construction site in ‘good order’ and every
place of work clean. The objective is to
achieve what is usually called a good standard
of ‘housekeeping’ across the site.
• In addition, all contractors must plan, manage
and monitor their work so it is carried safely
and without risks to health. This includes
careful planning on how the site will be kept
tidy and housekeeping actively managed.
• The standard of housekeeping you achieve on
site will be affected by how effective you are
at:
• Materials storage
• Waste management
What you need to know
• Each year around 1000 trips or slips on

construction sites involve someone fracturing
bones or dislocating joints.
• These incidents can cause permanent
disablement and have a huge impact on both
work and personal life. Many of are caused
simply because there is something in the
person’s way, such as building materials or
waste.
Remember:
• sensible management of materials can reduce

waste, reduce cost whilst improving site safety
and helping to protect the environment
Materials storage
• Safe and efficient materials storage depends

on good co-operation and co-ordination
between everyone involved including, client,
contractors, suppliers and the construction
trades
On all projects the arrangements for materials
storage should be discussed and agreed
between contractors and the project client.
Larger notifiable projects should have

arrangements for materials storage included
in the Construction phase plan.
Top tips for materials storage on smaller
projects:
• Storage areas - designate storage areas for

plant, materials, waste, flammable substances
eg foam plastics, flammable liquids and gases
such as propane and hazardous substances eg
pesticides and timber treatment chemicals;
• Pedestrian routes – do not allow storage to
‘spread’ in an uncontrolled manner on to
footpaths and other walkways. Do not store
materials where they obstruct access routes
or where they could interfere with emergency
escape
• Flammable materials - will usually need to be
stored away from other materials and
protected from accidental ignition;
• Storage at height - if materials are stored at
height eg on top of a container, make sure
necessary guard rails are in place if people
could fall when stacking or collecting materials
or equipment;
• Tidyness - keep all storage areas tidy, whether
in the main compound or on the site itself;
and
• Deliveries - plan deliveries to keep the
amount of materials on site to a minimum
Waste management
• There is other legislation governing the proper

disposal of waste, ranging from low risk waste
through to hazardous waste . These laws are
enforced by the Environment Agency and
Local Authorities.
However, all waste produced can also present

a real safety hazard to workers on site if it is
not properly managed throughout the project.
You need to decide at an early stage:
How - wastes streams produced during

building work will be managed in a timely and
effective way; and
Who - is responsible for collecting and

disposal of specific wastes produced on site.
Problems often arise when company and
individual duties are not made clear before
work starts
Top tips for waste management on smaller
projects:
• Flammable materials - make sure that all

flammable waste materials (such as packaging
and timber offcuts) are cleared away regularly
to reduce fire risks;
• Work areas - make clearing waste a priority
for all trades. Check that everyone is aware of
what is required that it is being done;
• Skips - waste materials need storing safely
before their removal from the site so make
sure that you allow sufficient space for waste
skips and bins etc. Plan where the skips can be
positioned and how often they will need to be
collected;
• Waste within buildings - consider waste
generated inside the building and whether
you need to provide wheeled bins or chutes
etc. to enable it to be brought out of the
building safely
The Construction (Design and Management)
Regulations 2015
• Whatever your role in construction, CDM aims

to improve health and safety in the industry
by helping you to:
• sensibly plan the work so the risks involved
are managed from start to finish
• have the right people for the right job at the
right time
• cooperate and coordinate your work with
others
• have the right information about the risks and
how they are being managed
• communicate this information effectively to
those who need to know
• consult and engage with workers about the
risks and how they are being managed
HSE has published Legal Series guidance that
supports CDM 2015 and explains it in more
detail.
Working with substances hazardous to health:
A brief guide to COSHH

Construction work can involve a number of
hazardous substances. The sections below
provide more information about what you
need to know and do.
Key points – construction workers are exposed

to a number of hazardous substances. Be
aware of the significance of the ill health
effects these cause and the main risk factors
behind them.
• Construction dust - construction dust is not
just a nuisance; it can be a real risk to your
lungs.
• Cement - cement based products, like
concrete or mortar, can cause serious skin
problems such as dermatitis and burns.
• Lead - lead is still commonly used and found in
older buildings. Breathing in lead dust and
fume inadvertently or swallowing it can cause
serious health problems.
• Solvents - solvents are found in many products
such as paints, thinners, resins and glues.
Poorly controlled work with solvents can
create both short-term ill-health effects and
longer term disease.
• Isocyanates - products that contain
isocyanates include paints, coatings, foams
and glues. Exposure to isocyanates can create
a risk of asthma and dermatitis.
• Harmful micro-organisms - construction
workers can be exposed to a variety of disease
causing micro-organisms such as bacteria,
viruses and fungi. They can be transmitted
through the air, by hand to mouth contact or
through the skin and lead to a range of health
problems.
• Carbon monoxide (CO) - this is a colourless
and tasteless poisonous gas produced by gas
appliances and engines when there is not
sufficient air for them to work correctly.
Carbon monoxide can kill.
Legislation and the construction industry
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
• Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations
1992
• Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
• Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992
• Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
• Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
What is a risk assessment?
• The HSE’s definition of a risk assessment is:

• “….a careful examination of what, in your
work, could cause harm to people, so that you
can weigh up whether you have taken enough
precautions or should do more to prevent
harm….”
• A risk assessment is a vital element for health
and safety management and its main objective
is to determine the measures required to
comply with statutory duty under the
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and
associated regulations by reducing the level of
incidents/accidents
Why do a risk assessment?
• A risk assessment will protect your workers

and your business, as well as complying with
law. As for when to do a risk assessment it
should simply be conducted before you or any
other employees conduct some work which
presents a risk of injury or ill-health
A person from your organisation needs to
attend risk assessment training as it will
ensure that this person is competent within
your organisation and will gain abilities such as
hazard identification, ability to categorise and
evaluate risk(s). These abilities will allow a
‘suitable and sufficient’ risk assessment to be
conducted within your own organisation.
How to do a risk assessment
• There are no fixed rules on how a risk

assessment should be carried out, but there
are a few general principles that should be
followed.
Five steps to risk assessment can be followed to
ensure that your risk assessment is carried out
correctly, these five steps are:
• Identify the hazards

• Decide who might be harmed and how
• Evaluate the risks and decide on control measures
• Record your findings and implement them
• Review your assessment and update if necessary
Step 1: Identify the hazards
• In order to identify hazards you need to understand

the difference between a ‘hazard’ and ‘risk’. A
hazard is ‘something with the potential to cause
harm’ and a risk is ‘the likelihood of that potential
harm being realised’.
• Hazards can be identified by using a number of
different techniques such as walking round the
workplace, or asking your employees
Step 2: Decide who might be harmed and how
• Once you have identified a number of hazards

you need to understand who might be harmed
and how, such as ‘people working in the
warehouse’, or members of the public.
Step 3: Evaluate the risks and decide on
control measures
• After ‘identifying the hazards’ and ‘deciding

who might be harmed and how’ you are then
required to protect the people from harm. The
hazards can either be removed completely or
the risks controlled so that the injury is
unlikely.
Step 4: Record your findings
• Your findings should be written down it’s a

legal requirement where there are 5 or more
employees; and by recording the findings it
shows that you have identified the hazards,
decided who could be harmed and how, and
also shows how you plan to eliminate the risks
and hazards.
Step 5: Review your assessment and update
as and when necessary
• You should never forget that few workplaces

stay the same and as a result this risk
assessment should be reviewed and updated
when required.
The Confined Space Regulations 1997
The confined space regulations came into force in

1997 and whilst the main text (and requirements) of
the regulations have not changed since then, the
ACOP, and guidance, forming the document, "Safe
Work in Confined Spaces," were revised in 2009 and
2014. The latest (2014) edition of this document
(also referred to as L101) can be downloaded free of
charge from the HSE website
Regulation 1 - Definition of a confined space
• First you must determine whether your entry

will be classified as a confined space.
• Regulation 1 gives the definition of a confined
space and plenty of guidance on how to apply
that definition.
A confined space can be anywhere that is
enclosed (or partially enclosed) and where it is
reasonably foreseeable that one or more of
the following specified risks may occur:
• serious injury from fire or explosion,
• loss of consciousness from increase in body

temperature,
• loss of consciousness or asphyxiation from gas
fume or vapour,
• loss of consciousness or asphyxiation from

lack of oxygen,
• drowning from increase in level of liquid,
• asphyxiation from free flowing solid,
• entrapment from free flowing solid.

Regulation 5 - Emergency arrangements
• Regulation 5 requires that no-one should

enter or work in a confined space unless there
are emergency arrangements in place that are
appropriate to the level of risk.
These emergency arrangements should

include making provision for extracting
workers from the confined space and making
provision for first aid (including resuscitation
equipment) where required.
In summary
• Define your confined space entries.

• Prevent the need to enter confined spaces
where reasonably practicable.
• If you have to enter, follow a safe system of
work.
• Ensure you have suitable emergency
arrangements in place
Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
• The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012

came into force on 6 April 2012, updating
previous asbestos regulations to take account
of the European Commission's view that the
UK had not fully implemented the EU Directive
on exposure to asbestos (Directive
2009/148/EC).
In practice the changes are fairly limited. They

mean that some types of non-licensed work
with asbestos now have additional
requirements, ie notification of work, medical
surveillance and record keeping. All other
requirements remain unchanged.
What has stayed the same?
• If existing asbestos containing materials are in

good condition and are not likely to be
damaged, they may be left in place; their
condition monitored and managed to ensure
they are not disturbed.
• If you're responsible for maintenance of non-
domestic premises, you have a '
duty to manage' the asbestos in them, to
protect anyone using or working in the
premises from the risks to health that
exposure to asbestos causes.
• If you want to do any building or maintenance
work in premises, or on plant or equipment
that might contain asbestos, you need to
identify where it is and its type and condition;
assess the risks, and manage and control
these risks.
• The requirements for licensed work remain
the same: in the majority of cases, work with
asbestos needs to be done by a
licensed contractor. This work includes most
asbestos removal, all work with sprayed
asbestos coatings and asbestos lagging and
most work with asbestos insulation and
asbestos insulating board (AIB).
• If you are carrying out non-licensed asbestos
work, this still requires effective controls.
• The control limit for asbestos is 0.1 asbestos

fibres per cubic centimetre of air (0.1 f/cm3).
The control limit is not a 'safe' level and
exposure from work activities involving
asbestos must be reduced to as far below the
control limit as possible.
• Training is mandatory for anyone liable to be
exposed to asbestos fibres at work. This
includes maintenance workers and others who
may come into contact with or disturb
asbestos (eg cable installers), as well as those
involved in asbestos removal work.
Asbestos appears in three main forms;
• Crocidolite – blue
• Amosite – brown
• Chrysotile - white
Blue and brown asbestos are considered to be
the most dangerous and may be found in
older buildings where they were used as heat
insulation around boilers and hot water pipes
and as fire protection of structures.
Asbestos produces a fine fibrous dust of
respirable dust size which can become lodged
in the lungs.
The fibres can be very sharp and hard causing

damage to the lining of the lungs over a
period of many years.
One of the following diseases can occur;
• Asbestosis or fibrosis – scarring of the lungs
• Lung cancer
• Mesothelioma – cancer of the lining of the

lung or in rarer cases, the abdominal cavity
LO2
Environmental and sustainability factors which

impact upon material choices
The world’s ecological footprint is a measure of

human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. It
represents the amount of biologically productive
land and sea area needed to sustain levels of
resource consumption and waste discharge
generated by the world’s population.
In the mid-1980s the earth reached the point
where the rate at which its resources were being
consumed, exceeded its carrying capacity.
Australia requires on average, 7.7 global
hectares per person to meet its current rate of
consumption and this represents amongst the
world’s highest ecofootprints, substantially
overshooting the world average of 1.8 global
hectares per person. If the rest of the world
consumed at Australia’s rate the equivalent of
over four planets would be needed to survive!
“Green buildings incorporate design,
construction and operational practices that
significantly reduce or eliminate the negative
impact of development on the environment and
occupants
Green Building provides an integrated, holistic
approach to addressing the environmental
impact of buildings consistent with meeting
triple bottom line principles. Many of the
features are directly linked to resource reduction
and selection of environmentally sensitive
materials.
Materials are a finite resource. As the earth’s
population continues to increase, demand for a
range of goods and services e.g. housing, places
of work, health services, education, cars,
refrigerators, and televisions will increase
pressure on resources such as energy, water,
steel, concrete, copper, aluminium, plastic and
many other materials.
Resource Consumption
Building and Construction Industry “The

construction, renovation, maintenance and
operation of buildings accounts for very large
quantities of materials which are extracted from
nature, processed, used and ultimately
discarded.
Building and construction activities worldwide

consume an estimated 3 billion tons of raw
materials each year. This represents a staggering
40 percent of total global use
Life Cycle Environmental Impacts
“The extraction, transformation, use and

disposal of materials all have environmental
costs, such as habitat destruction, resource
depletion, energy use, air pollution, water
pollution and solid waste problems
The selection of green building materials,
products, components and assemblies requires
consideration of a range of environmental
impacts during their various life cycle phases
Environmentally Sustainable Building Materials – Selection
Resource Extraction
• Consumption of finite resources
• Energy & water inputs
• Impact on Natural Environment & Biodiversity (externality)
air, water, soil, greenhouse emissions, habitat destruction
• Human health / workers
• Waste
Transformation of resources during Industry, Agriculture
and Building & Construction Processes
• Energy & water inputs

• Impact on Natural Environment & Biodiversity
(externality) air, water, soil, greenhouse emissions,
habitat destruction
• Resource inputs
• Human health / workers / IAQ
• Waste
Use / operation
• Energy & water usage / consumption

• Resource inputs eg, materials, products, components &
assemblies
(externality) air, water, soil, greenhouse emissions,
habitat destruction
• Human health / workers / IAQ occupants
• Waste
Disposal

(externality) air, water, soil, greenhouse
emissions, habitat destruction
• Human health / workers
• Waste
Waste Reduction
Waste reduction presents significant

opportunity to conserve finite resources through
a nationally recognised waste management
hierarchy which lists practices from most
desirable to least desirable, i.e. avoidance,
reduction, reuse, recycling and recovery.
As waste management initiatives progress up
the hierarchy, consideration needs to extend
beyond recycling to the more challenging,
higher yielding end of the hierarchy i.e., reuse,
reduce and avoid.
Avoidance
Cleary, elimination of waste from life cycle processes

by demand management techniques and supply
chain efficiencies is the most effective solution to
conserving resources and reducing waste. Innovative
design during the resource extraction, production,
planning and construction processes can substantially
avoid resource consumption and the generation of
waste.
Reduction
Waste reduction promotes addressing the

resource conservation objective during design,
manufacturing and construction processes.
Reuse, salvaged or recyclable
Easily dismantled or recovered materials,

components and assemblies can be reused or
salvaged at the end of their useful life or for
purposes of renewal or replacement. Not only
does this reduce waste that would otherwise go
to landfill, but saves embodied energy and water
and other resource inputs.
Designing to facilitate easy recovery, disassembly and

de-constructability of materials, products,
components and assemblies can therefore contribute
significantly. Recyclable materials, components and
assemblies particularly post-consumer recycled
content plays a significant role in conserving limited
resources and in diverting waste from landfill.
Extended producer responsibility or closed-loop

recycling and ‘take back’ programs are gaining
acceptance particularly in the supply of carpet
as a legitimate way of reducing waste,
conserving resources and managing life costs.
Renewable Resources
Materials from natural, renewable sources such

as plantation forests (preferably with
independent certification) and those made from
agricultural waste products such as straw have
sound green credentials because they are not
depleting finite resources.
Material, Product Component and Assembly
Longevity
Selection of durable materials can reduce the

replacement cycle and hence conserve the rate
of resource consumption.
Material, Product Component and Assembly Longevity
Durable materials also contribute to reduced building

operating costs including environmental impacts
associated with maintenance and cleaning.
Durability is also contingent upon design, construction

detailing and assembly of materials and components that
together, reduce exposure to weather and other external
impacts.
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
This is an independently verified and registered document

that communicates transparent and comparable
information about the life-cycle environmental impact of
products.
As a voluntary declaration of the life-cycle environmental

impact, having an EPD for a product does not imply that the
declared product is environmentally superior to alternatives
Why have Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)?
• Achieve Energy & Transport cost reduction
• Support innovative product development
• Meet customer demands & specifications
• Recognition by building assessment schemes, such as

BREEAM
EPD’s are based on a Life Cycle Assessment. It
includes information about the environmental
impacts associated with a product or service,
such as raw material acquisition, energy use and
efficiency, content of materials and chemical
substances, emissions to air, soil and water and
waste generation. It also includes product and
company information
Elements of an EPD
• An EPD consists of a product description, life

cycle assessment data and relevant
documentation and test certificates:
Elements of an EPD
• Product description (identification by name

and characterisation of product, declaration of
material contents, environmental and health-
related information throughout the product
life cycle, in particular the impact of its use on
indoor air, soil and groundwater, the outdoor
environment, and drinking water if applicable)
Elements of an EPD
• Life cycle assessment data (selected parameters of

inventory analysis and impact assessment, e.g.
consumption of natural resources, based on
coordinated functional units of measurement,
energy and transport models, other limits of system)
• Required documentation, test certificates.

Renewable and non renewable materials
Constructing with sustainable materials is not

only good for the planet and common sense, it
can save the client money, help preserve our
heritage, respond to planning policies and help
get credits in BREEAM, LEED and others
environmental assessment tools.
A sustainable material is one that:
• Does not deplete non-renewable (natural) resources.
• Has no adverse impact on the environment when

used.
• In practice, both these objectives are impossible to

achieve, but they do show us the direction we should
aim in.
We can preserve natural resources in many
ways:
• Avoiding using scarce (non-renewable) materials,

such as peat and weathered limestone.
• Creating less waste.

We can preserve natural resources in many ways:
• Using less; by not over-specifying performance

requirements, by designing minimum weight structures and
by matching demand to supply (such as supply balancing cut
& fill).
• Using reclaimed, rather than new materials.
• Using renewable materials (crops)

We can reduce the impact on the environmental of using
construction materials by:
• Using materials with low(er) embodied energy.
• Reducing transport of materials and associated fuel, emissions

and road congestion.
• Preventing waste going to landfill.
• Designing and constructing for ease of reuse and recycling at end-

of-life (design for deconstruction)
Another approach is to tackle the use of
materials by adopting a strategic and
hierarchical approach to decisions – beginning
with the 'best' from an environmental point of
view, then the next best, and so on.
Re-use materials or components in situ:
• Reuse a whole building, upgrading it as necessary.

• Reuse part of a building such the structural frame,
masonry façade or foundations.
• Build upon the existing ground floor slab of a
previous building.
• Reuse an existing retaining wall or embankment.
Use reclaimed materials or components with
little processing:
• Steel beams and columns from a dismantled

building.
• Demolition arisings (such as crushed aggregate)

can be used for landscaping or backfilling
excavations.
Use reclaimed materials or components with little
processing:
• Crushed glass can be used as a bedding material for

paved or block surfaces.
• Reclaimed paving stones or slabs.
• Railway sleepers or telegraph poles.
• Steel tube from the oil industry can be used as piles.
• Recycled black-top
Use manufactured materials or components with significant
and known recycled content:
• The Recycled Content (RC) of entire construction works can

easily be more than 20% (this was achieved at the London
Olympics site) and this can gain LEED or BREEAM credits.
• Concrete made with Recycled Crushed Aggregate (RCA -

typically up to 40%, depending on the source). For example
using demolition arisings or 'waste' from quarries.
Use manufactured materials or components with significant and known
recycled content:
• Concrete using cement replacement materials such as

Pulverised Fuel Ash (PFA) or Ground Granulated Blast-furnace Slag
(GGBS - 5-15% RC).
• 'Recycled Roads'.
• Precast concrete blocks, paviours, kerbs, etc, made using RCA (more
than 60% RC).
• Concrete pipes, drains, etc. made using RCA (more than 60% RC).
Use manufactured materials or components with significant
and known recycled content:
• Plastic street furniture (bollards, barriers etc.) made from

100% RC plastic.
• Decking, furniture etc made from 100% RC 'plastic lumber'

that looks like timber.
• Plastic drain or soil pipes made using recycled plastic (50-

100% RC).
Use manufactured materials or components with
significant and known recycled content:
• Cast iron drain pipes made using recycled

cast iron (up to 96% RC).
• Tarmac with crushed glass fill, up to 30% RC.
• Geo-textiles made from 100% RC plastic.

Use natural materials that have low embodied energy and / or
environmental impact:
• Timber (in preference to steel).
• Concrete reinforced with timber, bamboo or natural fibres.
• Geo-textiles and other products made from crops.

• Straw bales.
• Materials that are accredited as being responsibly sourced

Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP)
• The Waste and Resources Action Programme

(WRAP) envisions a world in which all
resources can be used sustainably. Established
as a not-for-profit company in 2000, WRAP is a
registered charity with a mission to promote
and accelerate the move to a resource efficient
economy and to protect natural resources.
Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP)
It does this through:
• Product sustainability - reinvention of the design,

creation and selling of products.
• Behavioural change - reinvention of how products

are consumed.
Waste and Resources Action Programme
(WRAP)
• Waste and resource management - redefining

what is possible through preventing and
minimising waste and promoting the reuse of
materials and recycling
• WRAP propose that a move to more
sustainable patterns of consumption and
production is crucial to achieving global
sustainable development.
• They take action where their work can have
the greatest impact and benefit the greatest
number of people, whether that is from an
economic, social or environmental standpoint
Their activities focus on four resource incentive
sectors:
• The built environment.

• Food waste reduction.
• Manufactured products.
• Resource management.
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental
Assessment Method)
This is a sustainability assessment method that is used to

masterplan projects, infrastructure and buildings.
Launched in 1990, by the Building Research Establishment
(BRE) it sets standards for the environmental performance
of buildings through the design, specification, construction
and operation phases and can be applied to new
developments or refurbishment schemes.
Launched in 1990, by the Building Research
Establishment (BRE) it sets standards for the
environmental performance of buildings
through the design, specification, construction
and operation phases and can be applied to new
developments or refurbishment schemes.
What does BREEAM measure?
• BREEAM assessment evaluates the

procurement, design, construction and
operation of a development against a range of
targets based on performance benchmarks.
It focuses on sustainable value across range of categories:
• Energy
• Land use and ecology
• Water
• Health and wellbeing
• Pollution
• Transport
• Materials
• Waste
• Management
• Each category focusses on the most influential
factors, including reduced carbon emissions,
low impact design, adaption to climate
change, ecological value and biodiversity
protection.
• Independent licenced assessors carry out an
assessment of a scheme and each of the
criteria is scored and then multiplied by a
weighting.
Two assessment/certification stages are carried
out (a design stage assessment which results in
an interim certificate, and a post-construction
assessment resulting in a final certificate being
issued and a rating awarded)
Developments are rated and certified on a scale
of Unclassified (<30%), Pass (>30%), Good
(>45%), Very Good (>55%), Excellent (>70%) and
Outstanding (>85%)
The BREEAM rating benchmark levels enable a
client or other stakeholder to compare an
individual building’s performance with other
BREEAM rated buildings and the typical
sustainability performance of new non-domestic
buildings in the UK.
Each BREEAM rating level broadly represents performance equivalent
to:
• Outstanding: Less than top 1% of UK new non-domestic buildings

(innovator)
• Excellent: Top 10% of UK new non-domestic buildings (best practice)
• Very Good: Top 25% of UK new non-domestic buildings (advanced
good practice)
• Good: Top 50% of UK new non-domestic buildings (intermediate
good practice)
• Pass: Top 75% of UK new non-domestic buildings (standard good
practice)
What are the benefits of BREEAM?
• BREEAM inspires developers and creators to

improve, innovate and make effective use of
resources.
• What are the benefits of BREEAM?
The focus on sustainable value and efficiency

makes BREEAM certified developments
attractive property investments and generates
sustainable environments that enhance the
wellbeing of the people who live and work in
them.
What are the benefits of BREEAM?
• While building to meet BREEAM's enhanced

standards may incur a capital cost this should be
viewed in the context of the overall value of
sustainable development. In particular; reduced
operational costs, helping to limit investor and
developer risk in building for the future, making a
building more attractive to let, sell or retain, and
creating a healthier workplace
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
(LEED)
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental

Design) is an internationally recognized green
building certification system, providing third-
party verification that a building or community
was designed and built using strategies aimed at
improving performance.
What matters the most:
• energy savings,
• water efficiency,
• CO2 emissions reduction,
• improved indoor environmental quality,
• and stewardship of resources and sensitivity
to their impacts.
Developed by the
U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC),
LEED provides building owners and operators a

concise framework for identifying and
implementing practical and measurable green
building design, construction, operations and
maintenance solutions.
LEED is flexible enough to apply to all building
types – commercial as well as residential. It
works throughout the building lifecycle – design
and construction, operations and maintenance,
tenant fitout, and significant retrofit.
…….And LEED for Neighborhood Development
extends the benefits of LEED beyond the
building footprint into the neighborhood it
serves.
LEED provides a point system to score green
building design and construction.
The system is categorized in five basic areas:
• Sustainable Sites,
• Water Efficiency,
• Energy and Atmosphere,
• Materials and Resources, and
• Indoor Environmental Quality.
Buildings are awarded points based on the
extent various sustainable strategies are
achieved. The more points awarded the higher
the level of certification achieved from Certified,
Silver, Gold, to Platinum.

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Science and Materials

LO1 Review health and safety regulations and legislation associated

• What you need to do

• Each year around 1000 trips or slips on

• sensible management of materials can reduce

• Safe and efficient materials storage depends

Larger notifiable projects should have

• Storage areas - designate storage areas for

• There is other legislation governing the proper

However, all waste produced can also present

How - wastes streams produced during

Who - is responsible for collecting and

• Flammable materials - make sure that all

• Whatever your role in construction, CDM aims

Working with substances hazardous to health:

A brief guide to COSHH

Key points – construction workers are exposed

• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

• The HSE’s definition of a risk assessment is:

• A risk assessment will protect your workers

• There are no fixed rules on how a risk

• Identify the hazards

• In order to identify hazards you need to understand

• Once you have identified a number of hazards

• After ‘identifying the hazards’ and ‘deciding

• Your findings should be written down it’s a

• You should never forget that few workplaces

The confined space regulations came into force in

• First you must determine whether your entry

• loss of consciousness from increase in body

• loss of consciousness or asphyxiation from

• asphyxiation from free flowing solid,

• entrapment from free flowing solid.

• Regulation 5 requires that no-one should

These emergency arrangements should

• Define your confined space entries.

• The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012

In practice the changes are fairly limited. They

• If existing asbestos containing materials are in

• The control limit for asbestos is 0.1 asbestos

The fibres can be very sharp and hard causing

• Asbestosis or fibrosis – scarring of the lungs

• Mesothelioma – cancer of the lining of the

Environmental and sustainability factors which

The world’s ecological footprint is a measure of

Building and Construction Industry “The

Building and construction activities worldwide

“The extraction, transformation, use and

• Energy & water inputs

• Energy & water usage / consumption

• Impact on Natural Environment & Biodiversity

Waste reduction presents significant

Cleary, elimination of waste from life cycle processes

Waste reduction promotes addressing the

Easily dismantled or recovered materials,

Designing to facilitate easy recovery, disassembly and

Extended producer responsibility or closed-loop

Materials from natural, renewable sources such

Selection of durable materials can reduce the

Durable materials also contribute to reduced building

Durability is also contingent upon design, construction

This is an independently verified and registered document

As a voluntary declaration of the life-cycle environmental

• Achieve Energy & Transport cost reduction