NHBC Health & Safety News. Working on Roofs. The Protection of Wildlife and Plants. June 2008 Issue 53

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1 NHBC Health & Safety News Working on Roofs The Protection of Wildlife and Plants June 2008 Issue 53

2 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. Ask the experts What are Permits to Work and why do we need them? Thank you for your question 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 To submit your question hsnews@nhbc.co.uk 1

3 Dangers of working on Roofs There are number of reasons for working on a roof, such as initial construction, maintenance, repairs, alteration, access of services or cleaning. The problem The 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. Planning Working on roofs requires careful planning to prevent death or serious injury through falling. A risk assessment will need to be completed before any work takes place. The two principal issues in housebuilding are: 1 - Falls through the roof structure (trusses etc) 2 - Falls from unprotected edges 2

4 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 roof structure to give the carpenter a proper platform from which to work. This is particularly important when constructing rooms in the roof where the potential 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. Design Designers/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. 3

5 Safety in sales areas The sales area of a construction site can be a very dangerous place. The principal contractor has a duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all sales staff and prospective purchasers. Cut out and keep 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 THINK! It s your duty to keep yourself, your colleages and customers safe 4

6 The protection of wildlife and plants on construction sites Damaging, disturbing or removing protected species could result in costly prosecutions for construction companies, due to a range of environmental legislation. Common construction activities, such as demolition, site clearance and dewatering 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 assessment when making a planning application and many large or publicly funded projects now require an environmental impact assessment and environmental statement to be prepared. Whichever route is followed the document should draw the developer s attention to any protected species, habitats and other environmental issues, which may be relevant to the site. Protected species and habitats There are numerous birds, wild creatures and plants protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act Rare species such as Great Crested Newts, birds of prey and bats are given more protection from disturbance. It must also be remembered that there is legislation targeted at specific species, such as the Protection of Badgers Act Tree and hedgerow protection Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and Town and Country Planning (Trees) Regulations 1999, tree preservation orders (TPOs) can be enforced by local planning authorities prohibiting felling, uprooting, topping, lopping and willful damage of trees without their consent. Additionally under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997, a hedgerow removal notice is required from the Local Authority if it is more 30 years old or satisfies at least one of the criteria listed in Part 2 of Schedule 1. It is therefore important during the planning of a project that developers notify the Local Authority of any trees/hedgerows identified for removal. Invasive plants Historically where plants have been introduced and they do not occur naturally, there is a risk they could 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 harmful effects on humans (i.e. giant Hogweed). It is therefore important that the environmental statement for the project highlights any non-native species of interest, with advice sought from specialists. 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

7 Accident Reporting With 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 accident reporting procedure in place. 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 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 contract condition 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 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. 6

8 Must haves Health & Safety Training courses To book on any of the courses below call or For SAFE news subscription enquiries please call: Managing health and safety for small builders Many 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 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 Traffic management on site Poorly managed vehicle and pedestrian traffic on site can have serious consequences both for employees and the general public. The HSE requires traffic management plans to be prepared as part of the health and safety plan. Failure to safely plan vehicle and pedestrian movements on site can result in accident prosecutions, heavy fines and damaged reputation. This course is suitable for those with a responsibility for planning and implementing traffic management on site. 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 CDM Awareness The CDM regulations introduced in April 2007 affected every aspect 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 is essential 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. 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 NHBC Health & Safety Services NHBC House, Davy Avenue, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes, Bucks MK5 8FP Tel: Fax: HB /08