Construction (Design & Management)

Date:               October 2023

Issue:              No. 6

Subject:          Weather Safety and Protection

This document forms part of the National Ice Centre’s organisational written safety policy arrangements.

Departments, services or teams may consider it appropriate to develop additional guidance and systems of work on specific work related activities.

Where proposals, additional guidance or changes to systems of work will have an impact on health, safety and welfare, this will be discussed and agreed at the Health & Safety Committee.

If you have any questions or require further information or support on the contents of this document, please contact The NIC Health & Safety Advisor or Corporate Safety Advice.

Managers must understand that these regulations apply to all construction projects and is taken to include a variety of projects including demolition, rewiring, internal alterations and refurbishments as well as any new build projects.

Construction work is a broad are of civil engineering and construction work and includes:

• the construction, alteration, conversion, fitting out, commissioning, renovation, repair, upkeep, redecoration or other maintenance (including cleaning which involves the use of water or an abrasive at high pressure, or the use of corrosive or toxic substances), de-commissioning, demolition or dismantling of a structure;
• the preparation for an intended structure, including site clearance, exploration, investigation (but not site survey) and excavation (but not pre-construction archaeological investigations), and the clearance or preparation of the site or structure for use or occupation at its conclusion;
• the assembly on site of prefabricated elements to form a structure or the disassembly on site of the prefabricated elements which, immediately before such disassembly, formed a structure;
• the removal of a structure, or of any product or waste resulting from demolition or dismantling of a structure, or from disassembly of prefabricated elements which immediately before such disassembly formed such a structure;
• the installation, commissioning, maintenance, repair or removal of mechanical, electrical, gas, compressed air, hydraulic, telecommunications, computer or similar services which are normally fixed within or to a structure.

The CDM Regulations primarily provides a framework for safety on construction projects.

It achieves this framework by giving specific roles, duties and responsibilities to various people involved in a construction project.

Managers and sections of the organization may take some or all of these responsibilities and duties in the line of their work.

Below is a summary of the duties and responsibilities each position retains during a construction project.

The HSE

The HSE enforce this legislation and need to be formally told of construction projects which have duration of over 30 days.

Their enforcement role ensures that the appropriate personnel within a project are in place and are actively co-operating to maintain the health & safety of the people affected by the project.

This enforcement role also allows them to visit construction sites and management at any time to discuss the arrangements for safety management.

Client

Can be an organization or individual for whom a construction project is carried out.

The client is required to:

• make suitable arrangements for managing a project. This includes making sure:
  • other duty-holders are appointed;
  • sufficient time and resources are allocated;
• making sure
  • relevant information is prepared and provided to other duty-holders;
  • the principal designer and principal contractor carry out their duties;
  • welfare facilities are provided.

Domestic Client

Are people who have construction work carried out on their own home, or the home of a family member that is no done as part of a business, whether for profit or not.

The domestic client is required to:

• domestic clients are in scope of CDM 2015, but their duties as a client are normally transferred to:
  • the contractor, on a single contractor project; or;
  • the principal contractor, on a project involving more than one contractor.
  • However, the domestic client can choose to have a written agreement with the principal designer to carry out the client duties.

Designers

Designers are those persons, who as part of a business, prepare or modify designs for a building, product or system relating to construction work.

The designer is required to:

• when preparing or modifying designs, to eliminate, reduce or control foreseeable risks that may arise during:
  • construction; and
  • the maintenance and use of a building once it is built.
• provide information to other members of the project team to help them fulfil their duties.

Principal Designers

The principal designers is appointed by the client in projects involving more than one contractor.

They can be an organisation or an individual with sufficient knowledge, experience and ability to carry out the role.

The principal designer is required to:

• plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety in the pre-construction phase of a project. This includes:
• identifying, eliminating or controlling foreseeable risks;
• ensuring designers carry out their duties;
• prepare and provide relevant information to other duty-holders;
• liaise with the principal contractor to help in the planning, management, monitoring and coordination of the construction phase.

Principal Contractors

Are contractors appointed by the client to coordinate the construction phase of a project where it involves more than one contractor.

The principal contractor is required to:

• plan, manage, monitor and coordinate the construction phase of a project. This includes:
• liaising with the client and principal designer;
• preparing the construction phase plan;
• organising cooperation between contractors and coordinating their work.
• ensure:
• suitable site inductions are provided;
• reasonable steps are taken to prevent unauthorised access;
• workers are consulted and engaged in securing their health and safety; and
• welfare facilities are provided.

Contractors

Are those who do the actual construction work and can be either an individual or a company.

The contractors are required to:

• 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.

Workers

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

Workers are required to:

• 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;

Appointment of Duty-Holders

The principal designers and contractors should be appointed at the earliest opportunity and the person appointing must take reasonable steps to satisfy themselves that those who will work have the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and where an organisation, capability to carry out the work in a way that secures the necessary health & safety requirements.

The pre-construction information is defined as the information that is already in the clients possession or is deemed to be reasonably obtainable.

It must be relevant, have an appropriate level of detail and be proportionate to the given risks to health or safety involved in the project.

The client and principal designer must look to ensure that the information is adequate and then look to provide the information to assist other duty-holders in completing their activities.

This document outlines the health & safety arrangements, site rules and specific measures concerning certain specified risks.

To assist managers, the ‘Construction Phase Plan Guide’ should be referred to for specific controls.

The ‘Health & Safety Plan’ provides a formal document and focus for the construction phase of a project.

The client must ensure that the health and safety file is prepared before any construction work commences.

The plan should include:

• Arrangements for ensuring the health and safety of workers and ‘third parties’ before and during construction;
• Arrangements for the management of health and safety of the construction work;
• Information about welfare arrangements e.g. toilets, drinking and washing facilities which must be in place before construction work commences.

The health and safety file must contain relevant information about the project which should be taken into account when any construction work is carried out on the building after the current project has finished.

The Health & Safety File is only required for projects involving more than one contractor.

The principal designer has primary responsibility for preparing the file, and reviewing, updating and revising it as the project progresses. If their appointment continues to the end of the project they must also pass the completed file to the client to keep.

If the principal designer’s appointment finishes before the end of the project, the file must be passed to the principal contractor for the remainder of the project.

The principal contractor must then take on the responsibility for reviewing, updating and revising it and passing it to the client when the project finishes.

The CDM regulations sets out a number of provisions that only relate to work carried out on a construction site. 

This aspect of the Regulations covers a wide range of activities and safety requirements and if you are a manager or are involved in a project that is a construction site, you need to consider and implement provisions identified within the CDM Construction Site General Requirements document that will identify what is required.