D39SA1 SAFETY MANAGEMENT 2009.

EXAMINATION FEEDBACK REPORT

Introduction This report indicates what was being sought in the different questions and gives details of the kind of information that would be included in a good answer.

Q1 The photograph in Appendix One shows construction work in progress. a. b. From the photographs, identify and explain examples of both good and bad safety practices. Describe how would you improve this situation, giving the time scales you would allow for any improvements to be made and any alternative courses of action you can suggest.

1a Examples of good practices include team working, some PPE being worn such as helmets, harnesses, boots, gloves and cold weather gear. Examples of bad practices include lack of edge protection; single plank access walkway; overlapping, worn, uneven and unfixed scaffolding boards; concrete debris on boards; trailing hose or cable; uncapped rebar; helmets worn over hats; lack of hi-viz jackets or tabards; harnesses not attached to any support. All of these problems are likely to be made worse by the obvious cold weather conditions. Also other workers appear to be in the same situation across the site, so these may not be isolated examples, indicating a lack of a proper safety culture. Explanation (read the question it asks for this specifically) In the UK these would be breaches of Section 2 HSWA 1974, the Working at Height Regulations, Management Regulations etc., BUT the photos are clearly of the Birds Nest Olympic Stadium in China so UK laws do not apply. There have been reports of high accident rates and many fatalities during the building of Olympic venues, and this clear lack of a safety culture on site could explain why. It main also explain the concentration on PPE rather than basic and life saving safety precautions. 1b Improvements it is to be hoped that these problems would not arise in the UK any more, but if they did then the improvements would include :-

Provide safe access / egress build a 3 plank wide walkway with hand rail, mid rail and toe boards both sides, properly supported and fixed in place. Edge protection build safe working platforms at least 3 boards wide, installed and signed of by competent erectors, and inspected before use daily. A good answer could include a diagram of the layout and dimensions of such a platform rather than a long description. Fall netting. Rebar caps. High-visibility (Hi-viz) jackets, trousers, tabards. Waterproof gloves for concrete work. Eye protection for concrete work. Training and education. A good answer would also conclude that, on such a poor site, the improvements need to start with a culture change.

Responsibilities - with such clear and comprehensive faults, responsibility lies clearly at Director and Board level. This is not just a site manager breaking the rules or the fault of the workers for not reporting it as some suggested. It indicates that either there are no rules on this site, or that it is normal practice to ignore even basic rules in working this way. Ironically, this being communist China, there are no effective rules to protect the workers safety.

Timescales A good answer could indicate that priorities for action would be set using a risk rating matrix, and might include a diagram of a typical matrix of consequence against frequency. Since falls from a height account for many fatalities, this would come first and work should be stopped until al edge protection and access problems have been remedied. This means that concrete pouring would also have to stop. (That is a concrete pumping rig in the background and not a crane as many people said). PPE is readily available and so should be risk assessed and provided ASAP ready for work starting again. Only one day would be needed to scaffold the next area for pouring, with access denied to non-protected areas. They can be scaffolded as the pouring regime gets to them.

Alternative action might include Allowing the present concrete pour to be completed with reduced numbers of workers and increased temporary safety measures such as attaching the harnesses. Use moveable staging for the area being poured at any time, and moving this to the next pour each day after completion.

Providing special harness attachment points in areas of rapidly moving work. If this had been discovered by an enforcement officer in the UK, then site closure and court action would be probable.

Part 2 Q2 a. b. Critically appraise the significance of falls from a height in construction safety. Give 3 different examples of how this type of accident could happen. Explain in each case the precautions that should be taken to reduce the risks.

A Figures and statistics should have been used to illustrate the significance of falls from a height, rather than just an assertion that it is so. Since work at height is common, and the consequences of a fall almost always serious or fatal, then a risk rating matrix would confirm the significance by producing a high score. Good answers included a matrix diagram as well as an explanation of the results. Working at height is so significant that it has its own set of Regulations in the UK, and the HSE have specific campaigns to highlight this featured on their website (Shattered Lives and the Ladder Exchange). Precautions to prevent falls are basic, cheap and well known. It is mainly edge protection for roofs, rails on scaffolding, guarding of openings, good ladder practice and identification of fragile roofs and surfaces. Not rocket science. All risks of falls should be identified on any job by even a basic risk assessment if properly carried out. So the critical appraisal goes along the lines of the risks are everywhere on building operations and the consequences are serious. This is well known, as are the precautions, which are cheap and easy to put in place. When a fall happens it usually means that something very basic has been neglected, for which there is no excuse.

B Many examples were available, and candidates picked a wide variety to answer this part, all of which were valid but many went into far too much descriptive detail. Good answers tended to use diagrams more than descriptions.

Q3 Some companies consider good safety and good profits are complete opposites. Discuss this statement reflecting on current thinking regarding this. This really required the use of simple economics in a structured argument to show that this statement is false, whist accepting that it is still a widely held belief in the construction industry. This involved using the accident cost iceberg and the accident pyramid to show the true costs of accidents (at least in monetary terms), and the true scale of accidents beyond the injury statistics which appear in official figures. Several good answers included specific details from the HSE about the hidden costs of non-injury accidents in a large building contract. Good answers also considered the moral dimension of accident prevention an aspect which is often neglected. It was expected that candidates would reflect on current thinking by referring to publicity campaigns organised by the HSE, CBI, CITB, TUC etc.

Q4 a. Many different chemicals are used on construction sites. Explain which UK law controls the use of such chemicals, and describe the main requirements. b. Outline three practical steps you would take to ensure that workers are protected when using hazardous chemicals.

A Candidates needed to be confident in getting at least the title of the legislation right this is asking for the Control Of Substances Harmful to Health (COSHH) but several who attempted this question got that wrong !! The main requirements include employers identifying any chemicals in their work activity to which the regulations apply, carrying out a risk assessment, developing safe systems to cover their use, storage, transport etc., providing information and training for employees and providing suitable and effective PPE when appropriate. Good answers would have noted that exposure levels are set in the HSE ACOP EH40 and explained what these terms meant.

For 3 practical examples, candidates could have chosen from e.g. Explore whether the chemical needs to be used at all Check whether safer alternatives exist Employ specialists to use hazardous materials

Provide information and training for workers on the risks and precautions Check if there is a way to use the chemical remotely, or by using machines, to keep operatives at a safe distance Reduce exposure by limiting the time anyone works with the chemical Use it in the open air or ensure good ventilation levels. Avoid use in confined spaces Monitor exposure levels using specialist equipment Monitor body uptake and remove workers who test positive Rotate staff regularly to minimise exposure Keep health records Issue suitable PPE (suitable for the chemical and the user and only as a last resort of course), provide training and check it is being used correctly

Q5 Critically evaluate two examples of recent developments in construction safety and discuss their possible contribution to better safety performance. Recent developments were specified in order to give candidates the chance to show that they had been exploring current trends in safety and that they are aware of what is happening now or in the very recent past. Examples might include campaigns by the HSE, TUC, CITB, or OSH in America, or other equivalents around the world. Good answers included an evaluation of how useful (or otherwise) the candidate considers these campaigns are in promoting safety, and why.