Developments of safe systems of workU N I T 5 : H E A LT H A N D S A F E T Y I N C O N S T R U C T I O NK AT R I N A L O U I S E H A L LIntroductionHealth and Safety is one of the most important aspects of construction.
Working in the construction industry without having an educated background on how to keep yourself and others safe is extremely dangerous. In the construction industry there are many ways on how you can risk your health, safety and welfare (also not only just you, others too). We have legislations in place to keep everyone as safe as possible; employers, employees, temp workers, clients, visitors and the public. These legislations are exceptionally helpful and over the years have saved tons of lives.Even though there are drawbacks to these legislations, mainly for the employers, they are for every person’s benefit. Health and safety plays a huge part in our lives and these legislations that I will be showing you are just a few of many legislations that save many, many lives.The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974Also as HASAWA, this act applies to all working environments, workers, known sub-contractors, employers and visitors. What this act does?Places a duty on everyone in the construction industry to follow rules in order to ensure health, safety and welfare.
?Places a number of duties on employers. For example to assess risks and then introduce controls to reduce and possibly eliminate these risks, an example of doing this is through a risk assessment.?Places a number of duties on employees. For example to take reasonable care for the health, safety and welfare of their self and other people at work.Between the years of 1974 and 2014, fatal injuries to employees have fallen by a huge 87%. This shows that since the HASAWA had been established, the risk of deaths and near deaths has hugely decreased.Benefits and drawbacks of the HASAWA 1974BenefitsDrawbacksProtects staff –this act protects employers and their staff from injury, illness or any other form of harm in the workplaceCosts–Since employers are required to provide free PPE and training/education through this act, it leads to the company paying a lot for their worker’s safety.
The reduction of absences –Following this act and maintaining a safe workplace will reduce the risk of work-related illnesses and injuries, and therefore reduce staff absences. Workplace Inspections –Employees begin to become familiar with their jobs and often forget to keep safety uppermost in their minds. A workplace inspection may throw them off.Saving time –Having the health and safety procedures in line allows matters to be handled quickly.Education/training isn’t easy –Learning the classifications is hard, for example it isn’t easy learning all the types of combustible materials.The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 started because of the injuries and deaths that occurred and people needed to be protected at work as the death toll/mortality rate was increasingly exceeding.
This act has been tremendously effective over the years. The surrounding graphs show how the death toll/mortality rate has decreased.How has the Health And Safety At Work Act 1974 been effective?A construction site in the 1900sA construction site this yearThere is a massive change between construction sites then and now! Today you find that there are more safety procedures than you did back then.In a nutshell, this legislation has hugely impacted the risks of working in the construction industry. Having this legislation in place allows injuries to be more rare and many, many lives to be saved. Since 1974, when this legislation was introduced, the construction mortality rate has decreased.
What this act doesIn a nutshell, this act ensures that employers sensibly plan work so risks are managed and you have the right people for the right job at the right time. This act also ensures that you have the right information about the risks and how they are being managed.Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015Whatever your role is in construction, CDM aims to improve the health and safety risks in the industry to help you keep yourself and others safe.Designers and Manufacturers Duties•ensure that the product/substance is designed and constructed to be safe.•To carry out/arrange the testing of products.•To take steps that are necessary to provide adequate information about the use of the product, such as labels, an instruction booklet or training.
•Carry out research on any product that could cause risks to health and safety. e.g.
is the product safe to use indoors?•To make sure the person testing or using the product is trainedCDM Regulations 2015•The application of the regulations and definitions of termsPart 1Part 2•The duties of specific people under the regulations.Part 3•The general requirements for all construction sites.Part 4•The transitional arrangements as the regulations came into force.Part 5The duties of clients, both commercial and domestic, for all construction projects.
A summary of duties under CDM Regulations 2015CDM Duty holdersTheir main dutiesCommercial clientsMake suitable arrangements for managing a project.Domestic clientsProvide information to other members of the project team to help them fulfil their duties.Principal designers and Principal contractorsPlan, manage, monitor and co-ordinate health and safety in the pre-construction phase of a project.
The same but in the actual construction phase.ContractorsPlan, manage and monitor construction work under their control so it is carried out without risks to health and safety.WorkersWorkers must be consulted about matters, take care of their own health and safety, report and cooperate with their employer.
DesignersProvide information to other members of the project team to help them fulfil their duties.Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013A L S O K N O W N A S R I D D O R, P U T S D U T I E S O N E M P L O Y E R S , T H E S E L F-E M P L O Y E D A N D P E O P L E I N C O N T R O L O F W O R K P R E M I S E S T O R E P O R T C E R TA I N S E R I O U S W O R K P L A C E A C C I D E N T S , O C C U PAT I O N A L D I S E A S E S A N D D A N G E R O U S O C C U R R E N C E S .Who should report??An employer or someone In control of the premises?Self-employed?A member of the public, employee or injured person?A gas supplier?A gas engineer?Working offshoreWhat should be reported??Deaths and injuries caused by workplace accidents?Occupational diseases?Carcinogens mutagens and biological agents?Specified injuries to workers?Dangerous occurrences?Gas incidentsBenefits and drawbacksRIDDOR now gives you up to 15 days to report rather than the 10 days that was previously allowed.
Since recent changes to RIDDOR it is most likely that you will see a fall of around 30,000 less reports per year! This has been estimated as a saving of around 10,000 hours per year to UK businesses.How RIDDOR has been effectiveKeyGREEN = suggests data is comparable/similar across the period;RED = a changeHASH = no data availableReferencesSlide 3:’Work-related fatal injuries to employees and the self employed, 1974-2014/15′ http://www2.cipd.co.uk/community/blogs/b/mark_beatson/archive/2016/04/27/health-and-safety-at-work-a-british-success-storySlide 4:’Benefits on the HASAWA’Slide 5: ‘Workplace deaths over the years’ https://www.straitstimes.
com/singapore/manpower/55-deaths-and-all-were-preventable’Steam shovel at work’Coady, RJ. 1911. Steam Shovel loading rock.https://coadysamericanart.
wordpress.com/2013/12/02/machinery/References -continuedSlide 10: ‘RIDDOR changes will have a positive effect, says HSE’https://www.personneltoday.
com/hr/riddor-changes-will-have-a-positive-effect-says-hse/’No you don’t have to report every incident’https://www.ihasco.co.uk/courses/detail/accident-reporting’HSE Implements RIDDOR 2013 Changes’https://packetts.com/news-posts/hse-implements-riddor-2013-changes/?doing_wp_cron=1539629927.
5897459983825683593750Slide 11:’RIDDOR injury statistics’http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/riddor-injury-statistics.
htmInformation on slides:Pearson. Book 13. ToplissS. Hurst M. Cummings S.
DonyaviS. Buckenham A.
