CSA L1 Core 01: Health, safety and welfare in construction and associated industries

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1 Health and safety course map Here are the sessions that you ll cover under health and safety, including a rough guide to how long each session is likely to take. Don t get too tied up with these timings, you may take more or less time to complete them; main thing to remember is to make sure you fully understand each session before moving on. We ve given each session a reference (LO 1 etc.), so that you can use these, should you need to refer to them if asking for support at any stage, as well as keeping you aware of where you are as you re working through the course. The LO is also used for another reason; which is that all this learning material is designed to support industry recognised qualifications, and the LO stands for learning outcome. So, LO 1, 2, 3 etc. is a direct cross reference to the learning outcomes developed by the industry standard setting body. Course map Health and safety overview: LO O LO 1: Health and safety legislation regulations, roles and responsibilities LO 2: Accident and emergency procedures and how to report them LO 3: Identifying hazards on construction sites LO 4: Health and hygiene in a construction environment LO 5: Handling and storing materials and equipment safely LO 6: Basic working platforms and access equipment LO 7: Electricity in a construction environment LO 8: Personal protective equipment LO 9: Fire and emergency procedures Getting started - health and safety LO 10: Signs and safety notices

2 Using the material Throughout this learning material, you ll see one of these icons in the margins, these refer to timings, information or an activity etc. and indicate when you are required to make a note of, or do something. Indicates the approximate time you should allow. Indicates further information or research required. Indicates an activity, assignment or progress check. Indicates a view video clip and will include a link. Indicates a question or where you may need to think about Indicates key words or phrases Where you see the write icon, it usually means that you have to complete an exercise or an assignment and in some cases you ll need to record your work. Each session is concluded with a Progress Check using various assessment methods. The answers to these progress checks can be found at the end of the unit, as well as the feedback to the activities where appropriate. It s entirely your call, but checking out these answers before you tackle the exercise won t do you any favours! You will see from the Course Map that this health and safety unit is broken down into sessions. Most of your learning will take the form of self-paced learning materials i.e. the pages in this workbook, which you should work through at your own pace. The ten sessions should take approximately 35 to 40 hours to complete, so don t try to do it all at once! Ideally, tackle a section every few days, completing health and safety over a three to four week period; it s up to you really. Remember, the timings are for guidance only, don t worry if it takes you longer, or you do them quicker. We strongly recommend that you don t move on to the subsequent units until you ve completed

3 health and safety. At the end of each unit you will find a multiple-choice assignment. These are designed to prepare you for the knowledge assessment papers, set by the awarding organisation, which you ll take at a college or centre. You must do these questions without making reference to the course material, because that s exactly what will happen when you take the awarding organisations assessment should you wish to take this route. We have also included a learning log and an action plan at the end of the unit. The learning log is useful for you to reflect on what you ve learned as you work through each section and then to write it down. You don t have to write reams of notes, just the key points. You ll find this is a useful revision and reference tool. As you work through the unit, there will be times when you identify that you need to do something that adds to your learning. This could be something like a piece of research. The action plan is the place to record this for future reference/action. Next step OK, before you get started, we suggest that whilst this is very much a digital self-earning package, it s really helpful to have a notebook and folder alongside you to take notes or record references in hard copy. You can use this for hard copy material that may not be available on line or for printed copies of PDFs. You can also use your folder to collect evidence towards your qualification. Oh, and don t forget the usual pen/pencil, highlighter pen etc. together with your mobile, which you can also use to record info, take photos and use for any calculations that may crop up.

4 Important note: Where you see the information/activity icon, in some cases, asking you to access links and download PDFs, we strongly recommend you do this as you may be questioned on this information in an activity, assignment or progress check. Health and Safety Overview- 1 hr Health and Safety forms a very important part of your everyday working life. This unit will include sessions on the following topics: Health and safety legislation regulations, roles and responsibilities Accident and emergency procedures and how to report them Identifying hazards on construction sites Health and hygiene in a construction environment Handling and storing materials and equipment safely Basic working platforms and access equipment Electricity in a construction environment Personal protective equipment Fire and emergency procedures Signs and safety notices. Each session is concluded with a progress check using various assessment methods; these will help you to prepare for whichever awarding organisation qualification you intend to register for. Working through the induction section should have given you an idea of how important health and safety considerations are in the domestic plumbing industry. During this session we ll explore the requirements that need to be met by you and your employer in respect of health and safety at work; very simply, the main purpose is to keep you, your fellow workers and all site visitors free from accidents and work related ill health. Having a good knowledge of Health and Safety requirements will also help you to be aware of the potential hazards when working on sites, and in the workshop.

5 Important note The material, as its written here, assumes that you re new to the industry and will initially look to become an employee within the industry. Whilst employees have key responsibilities under health and safety, the main responsibilities, under health and safety law rests with employers (and with the selfemployed should you go down that route). Most health and safety on site starts with a risk assessment which is done by the employer and is followed up by method statement showing the safe way of doing a job. That again is done by the employer, but there s an expectation that employees will follow this documentation. The HSE, it s your best friend We constantly make reference to the HSE in this unit as well as giving you links to various HSE publications. The reason is simple, the HSE is the authoritative voice about everything health and safety. Below is your first link, spend 10 to 15 minutes just having a causal look around the construction area of the website. HSE publication - Health and Safety in Construction This book explains the essential tasks for achieving healthy and safe on construction sites. It will help you to identify hazards and control risks and it explains how to plan, organise, control, monitor and review health and safety throughout the life of a project. Whilst this publication is aimed at the small contractor, it s also applicable to all those involved in construction. Use the link to get your own PDF download, you don t have to read it all, but its great reference material.

6 Every year in the construction and plumbing industry there are tens of thousands of accidents (some of which will be fatal). These figures are not intended to put you off your new career but to make sure you understand that accidents do happen if health and safety guidance procedures are not followed. Falling from heights is still the most common cause of accidents on construction sites. There are three main bodies responsible for the establishment and implementation of Health and Safety laws: Falling from height The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Environmental Health Department of Local Authorities Fire safety is enforced by the local fire authority at most premises, although the HSE covers fire issues on construction sites. During this unit you ll learn more about these organisations and about other regulations designed to keep you safe at work. You ll also learn about the various hazards that you may face, implementing safe methods of working, including the correct actions to be taken in the event of accidents. There s a great deal of information available about health and safety. The main reference is the construction section on the HSE website. We gave you the link earlier. You may wish to make a note of some of the more useful publications, including the link or download the PDFs. If you download the PDFs put them in your electronic folder

7 Here s an example of the publications available from HSE It s on this link: Whilst it written for the smaller construction contractor, it still has some great information that you can learn from. Copyright Please note: Some of the text/material used in this unit contains public sector information published by the Health and Safety Executive and licensed under the Open Government Licence. Construction health and safety is founded on legislation and guidance provided by the HSE and so plays a significant role in ensuring health and safety compliance in our place of work. The HSE website link is: Ok, that brings us to the end of the health and safety overview, there are no progress check questions here so next we ll move onto health and safety legislation.

8 Before we get into LO1 here are a few key words and phrases that occur throughout the unit, together with an explanation. Key words and phrases What follows next is a short selection of key words/phrases. We ve included these to give you a basic understanding of health and safety before getting stuck in to the detail of the course; we ll also refer to them again later. Hope it helps. HSE The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the national independent watchdog for work-related health, safety and illness. It acts in the public interest to reduce work-related death and serious injury across Great Britain s workplaces. HSE is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 HSWA, sometimes referred to as HASAWA The Health and Safety at Work Act is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in Great Britain. The Health and Safety Executive, with local authorities (and other enforcing authorities) is responsible for enforcing the Act and a number of other Acts and Statutory Instruments relevant to the working environment. The legislation is based on the view that those that create risk are best placed to manage it. In place of existing detailed and strict industry regulations, it created a flexible system whereby regulations express goals and principles, and are supported by codes of practice and guidance. Risk assessment An employer must control the risks in any of its places of work; this is a requirement of managing the health and safety of their business. Employers need to think about what might cause harm to people and decide whether they are taking reasonable steps to prevent that harm. This is known as risk assessment and it is something they are required by law to carry out. If an employer has fewer than five employees they don't have to write anything down. A risk assessment is not about creating huge amounts of paperwork, but rather about identifying sensible measures to control the risks in your workplace.

9 Method statements A method statement is a useful way of recording the hazards involved in any specific construction tasks and communicating the risk and precautions required to all those involved in the work. Health and safety and you All workers are entitled to work in environments where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. Under health and safety law, the primary responsibility for this is down to employers. As a worker you have a duty to take care of your own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by your actions at work. You must co-operate with employers and co-workers to help everyone meet their legal requirements. As a worker, if you have specific queries or concerns relating to health and safety in your workplace, talk to your employer, manager/supervisor or a health and safety representative Self-employed workers have the same health and safety responsibilities as employers. OK, let s get started on LO 1, which is all about Knowing the health and safety regulations, roles and responsibilities.

10 LO 1: Know the health and safety regulations, roles and responsibilities At the end of this session: You will know the health and safety regulations, role and responsibilities To achieve this, you will be able to meet the following assessment criteria: Identify key health and safety legislation relevant to and used in a construction environment State the key employer responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) State the key employee responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) State the roles and responsibilities of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Identify other sources of relevant health and safety information State when legislation would require the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to be informed State why there is a requirement for enforcing stringent guidance in health and safety State the importance of holding on-site safety inductions and toolbox talks State how your behaviour and actions could affect others Let s take a look at each assessment criteria one by one, the first is on the next page.

11 Identify key health and safety legislation relevant to and used in a construction environment Before we get into the legislation specific to construction, let s take a quick look at general legislation that applies to all workplaces. General legislations The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 This is an example of general legislation and these regulations apply to all workplaces and their requirements are imposed upon every employer or any person, who has, to any extent, control of a workplace, so this includes shops, factories, offices etc. So, that may include places that you could be working in, should you be working on maintenance jobs for example. These regulations are concerned with the working environment. They place a duty on employers to make sure that the workplace is safe and suitable for the tasks being carried out there, and that it doesn t present risks to employees and others. They don t however cover domestic premises or workplaces involving construction work on construction sites, those in or on a ship, or those below ground at a mine. Employers have a duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA) to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees at work. We ll cover the HSWA shortly. People in control of non-domestic premises have a duty towards people who are not their employees but use their premises. These Regulations expand on these duties and are intended to protect the health and safety of everyone in the workplace, and ensure that adequate welfare facilities are provided for people at work. The Workplace Regulations include requirements that affect the: Working environment Safety Welfare Facilities End of extract If you d like to discuss this material in more detail, lease Steve on steve@route1solutions.co.uk