June 2008 Issue 53

NHBC Health & Safety News

Working on Roofs

The Protection of Wildlife and Plants

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Simon says...

Simon Mantle, Manager NHBC Health& Safety Services

The news from the sector has not

made pretty reading over the last six

months. A large part of the industry

has moved to a slow build programme

or worse, and estimates for output

this year have been severely curtailed.

Early indications of last year’s fatality

statistics have been made available

by the HSE, and while the number is

still high (69 deaths in construction)

it is at least moving in the right

direction again, i.e. downwards.

What is clear though is that we are

in a far better situation than we were

at the start of the decade when over

100 were killed each year.

Many of the strives that the industry

has made in H&S over the last few

years have been made possible

through the stability that a booming

and prosperous market has provided.

The concern now is that, as times turn

tough and builders shed staff, many of

the skills and much of the knowledge

built up over the last decade will be

lost from companies and possibly from

the industry. The downturn will not last

forever, and while companies must do

what they must, be mindful of the need

to preserve the skills and competencies

that will allow us to pick up where we

left off when the industry takes off again.

A permit to work system is a formal written system

used to control types of work which are particularly

hazardous. The permit is a document that specifies

what and when work is to be done and the precautions

required for the work to be carried out safely.

When used correctly works should only commence

once the specific safety measures have been put

into place, checked and ‘signed off’ on the permit.

Once work is completed the permit will specify

what safety checks must be made before it can

be signed off. This formalised procedure ensures

supervisors maintain a high degree of control

over safety critical activities on site.

Typical works that may require a permit system are; hot works, working in confined spaces, or digging near services.

Taking hot works as an example, a permit would include the following:

� Location of hot works

� Duration of hot works

� Equipment to be used

� Hazards involved

� PPE required

� Additional safety equipment/measures

i.e. fire extinguisher and half-hourly

fire watch after works have ceased.

� Name and signature of person issuing

� Name and signature of person accepting

� Signing off signatures

Ask the expertsWhat are Permits to Work and why do we need them?

To submit your question email hsnews@nhbc.co.uk

Thank you for your question

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There are number of

reasons for working on a roof,

such as initial construction,

maintenance, repairs, alteration,

access of services or cleaning.

Dangers of working on Roofs

The problemThe Health and Safety Executives (HSE) accident

figures show that falls from height accounted for

around half of all fatalities in the period 1996/97

to 2005/06. Falls from height mainly involve

roof ladders, scaffolds and raised platforms.

The very fact that the construction of the roof involves

working at height makes it a hazardous task.

PlanningWorking on roofs requires careful planning toprevent death or serious injury through falling. A risk assessment will need to be completedbefore any work takes place.

The two principal issues in housebuilding are:

1 - Falls through the roof structure (trusses etc)

2 - Falls from unprotected edges

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The Work at Height Regulations 2005 sets out

a hierarchy of controls that must be used:

1 - Avoid work at height if possible, for example,

construct the roof carcass at ground level as

with timber frame buildings and lift the roof

felted and battened into place.

2 - If work at height is unavoidable, provide a

safe area of work with a collective system of

edge protection, consisting of a guardrail,

mid rail and toe board.

3 - If a fall cannot be prevented, reduce the

height and the consequences of a possible

fall by using a crash deck, or soft landing systems

such as air bags or bean bags.

4 - Sometimes the risk of a fall cannot be effectively

controlled without the use of personal protective

equipment (PPE). The use of fall arrest equipment

only protects the individual wearing it and as such

is the last resort and should only be provided if

the other options listed above are not practical.

Many of the most serious accidents result from

slips while working on the timbers within the roof.

Climbing within the trusses to fit bracing hips and in

fill rafters is a hazardous task and the risk of falling

must be reduced to a minimum. Placing boards

across the ceiling cords can reduce the height that

a person could fall and wearing the correct footwear

can also help to reduce slipping. Ideally a birdcage

scaffold should be constructed right into the roofstructure to give the carpenter a proper platformfrom which to work. This is particularly importantwhen constructing rooms in the roof where thepotential fall can be considerable.

Finally when planning work on the roof don’t forget to provide:

� safe access on and off the roof.

� safe working area

� storage for materials

� means of escape in the event of fire.

DesignDesigners/architects should be designing buildings

that are safe to build, maintain, use and demolish.

Many hazards could be removed through better design.

Under the new Construction Design Management

Regulations (CDM), which came into force in April 07,

there is increased emphasis and pressure on

designers to remove hazards, such as fragile roof

coverings, and to give consideration in their designs

to how they can actually be constructed without

putting workers at increased risk. This includes

difficult areas such as bracing within large and

complex trussed roofs.

Finally, all persons involved in working on roofs or

at height should be able to prove their competency

through experience, knowledge and training.

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THINK! It’s your duty to keep yourself,your colleages and customers safe

Before entering the site for the first time sales staff must:� Have an induction by the site manager,

highlighting any site rules

� Know the correct access routes

� Be given any Personal Protective

Equipment (PPE) required to

ensure their safety

� Be given an emergency contact number

Other considerations are:� The company’s policy on lone working

� Always let your colleagues know where you

are and when you are expected to return

� Never put yourself at risk of violence

When taking customers on site:� Only take manageable sized groups

� Advise them of any site rules

� Issue any PPE, as required

� Try to time visits for when construction

work is finished for the day

� Keep to designated pedestrian routes

� Do not enter an unfinished property

without the site managers assistance

� Ensure that all children are kept under

control by a parent or guardian

The sales area of a construction site can be a very dangerous place. The principal contractor has a duty to ensure the health, safety andwelfare of all sales staff and prospective purchasers.

Safety in sales areas

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The protection ofwildlife and plants on construction sites

Common construction activities, such as demolition, site clearance anddewatering could effect the environment by: � Removing birds, bats, badgers, newts

and other protected species

� Fragmentation of habitats

� Interference to aquatic wildlife and water quality

� Disturbance to wildlife from noise and vibration

� Harm to trees and hedgerows

� Pollution

Developers must produce an ecological impact assessmentwhen making a planning application and many large orpublicly funded projects now require an environmentalimpact assessment and environmental statement to beprepared. Whichever route is followed the documentshould draw the developer’s attention to any protectedspecies, habitats and other environmental issues,which may be relevant to the site.

Protected species and habitatsThere are numerous birds, wild creatures and plantsprotected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.Rare species such as Great Crested Newts, birds of preyand bats are given more protection from disturbance. It mustalso be remembered that there is legislation targeted atspecific species, such as the Protection of Badgers Act 1992.

Tree and hedgerow protectionUnder the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 andTown and Country Planning (Trees) Regulations 1999,

tree preservation orders (TPOs) can be enforced bylocal planning authorities prohibiting felling, uprooting,topping, lopping and willful damage of trees withouttheir consent. Additionally under the HedgerowRegulations 1997, a hedgerow removal notice is requiredfrom the Local Authority if it is more 30 years old orsatisfies at least one of the criteria listed in Part 2 ofSchedule 1. It is therefore important during the planningof a project that developers notify the Local Authorityof any trees/hedgerows identified for removal.

Invasive plantsHistorically where plants have been introduced and they do not occur naturally, there is a risk theycould become bigger and more aggressive than the indigenous plants. Additionally some of these‘invasive’ plants could result in structural damage (i.e. Japanese Knotweed), or have toxic or harmfuleffects on humans (i.e. giant Hogweed). It is thereforeimportant that the environmental statement for the project highlights any non-native species ofinterest, with advice sought from specialists.

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Damaging, disturbing or removing protected species could result in costlyprosecutions for construction companies, due to a range of environmental legislation.

References; The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, The Town and Country Planning Act 1990, Town and Country Planning (Trees) Regulations

1999, The Protection of Badgers Act 1992, The Conservation (Natural Habitats etc.) Regulations 1994, The Hedgerow Regulations 1997,

CITB Construction Site Safety – Health Safety and Environmental information 2008

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There are a number of incentives for employers to

ensure they have a clear procedure in place for the

reporting of accidents to employees. Not least of

these is the legal requirement.

The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations

1999 require employers to have in place arrangements

for the monitoring of health and safety (Regulation 5)

including the monitoring of accidents in the workplace.

From an employees’ perspective, they have a duty

under the Health and Safety at Work Act to co-operate

with their employer to enable them to carry out

their duties. As far as a construction site is concerned

the same relationship and duties apply to the Principal

Contractor and the sub-contractors.

Interestingly the only explicit legal requirement to

actually keep accident records is in the Social Security

(Claims and Payments) Regulations 1979, under which

a duty is placed on employees to report any accident

to their employer that may result in a benefit claim.

These reports may be made verbally or in writing.

For this purpose a suitable ‘Accident Book’ is used.

So there are plenty of legal reasons to record accidents.

However, the biggest incentive, is probably the need to

have good records available if a claim is ever made as

the result of an accident. Statistically the majority of

claims are made 2 years after an accident which means

as an employer the onus is on you to have clear records

of what happened. Unless decent records are made

at the time it is unlikely you will have sufficient

evidence to defend a spurious claim.

So what can you do to make sure accidents are recorded?

Make sure you:

� have a clear accident reporting procedure, make sure people know about it through inductions, tool box talks etc;

� tell employees where to find the accident book and make sure it is accessible;

� make the need to report accidents a contractcondition both for employees and sub-contractors;

� carry out at least a basic investigation of all accidents i.e. what happened, when it happened,where it happened as well as contact details of all injured parties and witnesses;

� keep all personal details secure as required by the Data Protection Act 1998.

Accident ReportingWith more and more accidents at work resulting in insurance claims, it is important for employers to understand the need to keep good records and have a clear accidentreporting procedure in place.

NHBC Health & Safety ServicesNHBC House, Davy Avenue, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK5 8FPTel: 0844 633 1000 Fax: 0844 633 0022 www.nhbcbuilder.co.uk

HB2435 07/08

Location Dates

Southampton 10 Sept 08

Falkirk 11 Sept 08

Milton Keynes 11 Sept 08

London 23 Sept 08

Tamworth 24 Sept 08

Bristol 25 Sept 08

Wakefield 25 Sept 08

Location Dates

Falkirk 11 Sep 08

Milton Keynes 16 Sep 08

Sevonoaks 17 Sep 08

Birmingham 23 Sep 08

Manchester 24 Sep 08

Leeds 25 Sep 08

London 30 Sep 08

Health & Safety Training coursesTo book on any of the courses below call 0844 633 1000 or email h&straining@nhbc.co.uk

For SAFE news subscription enquiries please call: 01908 746988

CDM AwarenessThe CDM regulations introduced in April 2007 affected everyaspect of health and safety on site for every role in the industry,not just the builder. If you are a client, a designer, a developer, a contractor, or in a technical role - CDM affects you! So it isessential that you understand what your responsibilities are, and how your role inter-relates with other roles.

NHBC’s one-day CDM Awareness training course specifically examines the roles and responsibilities of each duty holder under the regulations, and how to ensure compliance.

Managing health and safety for small buildersMany smaller builders are unaware or confused about their health and safety responsibilities and how to run a site safely on a day-to-day basis.

This one-day course will provide you with an understanding of the basic safety requirements for site management. Suitable for Small to medium sized builders who have not previously had any formal health and safety training.

Location Dates

Southampton 21 Oct 08

Milton Keynes 22 Oct 08

London 23 Oct 08

Cardiff 28 Oct 08

Stirling 28 Oct 08

Birmingham 29 Oct 08

Manchester 30 Oct 08

Traffic management on sitePoorly managed vehicle and pedestrian traffic on site can haveserious consequences both for employees and the general public.The HSE requires traffic management plans to be prepared aspart of the health and safety plan. Failure to safely plan vehicleand pedestrian movements on site can result in accidentprosecutions, heavy fines and damaged reputation.

This course is suitable for those with a responsibility for planning andimplementing traffic management on site.

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