Administration

What you need to do

The law on construction health and safety requires action to protect those at work on site and members of the public who may be affected. The key safety and health topics which require attention are covered in these webpages.

There are a number legal requirements concerning notifications, risk assessments, safety plans and examination reports etc. that must be also produced or submitted.

Key aspects are:

• Notifications
• Risk assessments
• CDM plan and file
• Thorough examination reports
• Inspection reports
• Method statements
• Injuries and dangerous occurrences

What you need to know

• The required notifications, assessments and reports etc. are necessary to support the practical steps taken to secure health and safety on site.
• You must have systems in place to ensure that these requirements are met and that the required ‘paperwork’ is in order and submitted or available to Inspectors and others as required.

Notifications

• CDM projects - the co-ordinator appointed by the project client must ensure that notice of the construction project is given to HSE as soon as the co-ordinator is appointed.

Risk assessments

• General assessment - employers are required to make an assessment of the health and safety risks to which employees and others are exposed on construction sites. The significant findings must be recorded where five of more people are employed.
• Specific assessments – certain regulations require risk assessments for specific hazards and state in more detail what is required. These include: work at height; hazardous substance (COSHH); manual handling; noise; vibration and lead.

CDM plan and file

• Construction phase plan - the principal contractor must prepare and then update the construction phase plan throughout the project. The document is designed to help plan, manage and monitor the construction work so it can be carried out safely.
• Health and safety file -  the co-ordinator must prepare a file containing information relating to the project which is likely to be needed for safety during any subsequent construction work.

Thorough examination reports

There are strict legal requirements concerning the thorough examination of all lifting equipment e.g. cranes and slings etc. Records of thorough examinations and tests must be: readily available to enforcing authorities; secure; and capable of being reproduced in written form.

Inspection reports

Excavations, scaffolds, ladders and fall arrest systems etc must all be inspected at specified times with reports prepared and retained.

Method statements

The arrangements for carrying out demolition or dismantling must be recorded in writing before the work begins. This is usually achieved by means of a method statement that can be generated from a risk assessment. Such statements are prepared for many higher risk construction activities e.g. roof work.

Injuries and dangerous occurrences

Death and injury accidents that occur on site must be recorded and reported to HSE in certain cases under Riddor. The same applies to specified dangerous occurrences.