Working Safely on Site
Protecting Workers in Practice
Knowing the law is one thing — putting it into practice every day on site is another. Three of the most critical areas of practical safety on a construction site are the correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE), following safe procedures when working with gas, water and electricity, and managing the very serious risks that arise when working at height or in enclosed spaces. Each area has its own rules, and understanding them is essential for anyone working in the construction industry.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
PPE is the last line of defence in the hierarchy of control — it is used when other measures cannot fully eliminate or reduce a hazard. Employers have three key duties in relation to PPE. First, they must assess whether PPE is needed as a control measure for a given task. This means reviewing the risk assessment and identifying whether the remaining hazard (after other controls have been applied) still poses a risk to health or safety that PPE can reduce. Second, they must ensure the correct PPE is selected for the task. Different hazards require different PPE — for example, working in a dusty environment requires a suitable dust mask (not a general paper mask), while handling chemicals requires chemical-resistant gloves rather than standard cotton ones. Common types of PPE used on construction sites include hard hats (protection against falling objects), high-visibility vests (to be seen by plant operators), safety boots with steel toe-caps, eye protection, hearing protection and respiratory protection.
Third, employers must train and supervise employees in the correct use, storage and maintenance of PPE. A hard hat that is worn on the back of the head does not protect the wearer. A dust mask that is not fitted to the face properly allows hazardous particles in. PPE that is stored incorrectly — for example, safety goggles left where they can be scratched — may become ineffective. Workers must know how to fit their PPE correctly, when it must be replaced, and how to report damaged or missing equipment. Supervision ensures that PPE is actually worn consistently, not just carried on site.
Employer duties regarding PPE: assess whether PPE is required as a control measure; select the correct PPE for the specific hazard; train and supervise employees in the correct use, storage and maintenance of PPE. PPE that is incorrectly fitted, stored or maintained provides little or no protection.
Working Safely with Gas, Water and Electricity
Gas, water and electricity are the three services that run through almost every building, and each one presents specific risks during construction and maintenance. The fundamental rule is that gas and electricity must only be worked on by a competent person who holds the necessary qualifications and accreditations. For gas work carried out as part of a business, this means being registered with Gas Safe — it is illegal for an unregistered person to carry out gas work on appliances or pipework. NICEIC is one certification scheme for electrical businesses. Electrical work must be carried out by competent people and meet relevant safety requirements.
Regardless of the type of service, workers must follow appropriate working practices, safety procedures and precautions at all times. A key safety procedure is isolation — knowing how to cut off the supply of gas, water or electricity before work, where it is safe and practicable to do so. For electricity, this means switching off the relevant circuit at the consumer unit and using a lock-out/tag-out procedure to prevent the circuit being accidentally re-energised while work is in progress. For gas, it means turning off the gas at the meter or at the relevant isolation valve. For water, it means closing the relevant stop valve. Failing to isolate a service before working on it is one of the most common causes of serious accidents involving services on construction sites. The correct PPE must also be used — for example, insulated tools and rubber gloves when working near live electrical components.
Isolation means cutting off the energy source before starting work. Without isolation, a live electrical cable can deliver a fatal electric shock; an un-isolated gas pipe, once cut, will release gas that can build up and ignite; an un-isolated water pipe will flood the work area when opened. Isolation does not just protect the person doing the work — it also protects anyone else on site who might be nearby or who might unknowingly switch on a circuit. A lock-out/tag-out system is the engineering control used to prevent re-energisation: the isolation point is physically locked in the off position and tagged with the name of the person working on the system, so no one else can accidentally restore the supply.
Working at Height
Working at height is defined as any work where a person could fall a distance that could cause personal injury — including working on roofs, scaffolds, ladders and mezzanine floors. It is one of the most common causes of fatal accidents in the construction industry. To ensure safety, work at height must be properly planned before it starts: the type of access equipment must be chosen in advance, competent people must be selected for the task, and the work must be organised to minimise the time spent at height and the number of people involved.
Workers at height must use an appropriate method of access. A MEWP (Mobile Elevating Work Platform) such as a cherry picker or scissor lift is often the safest option for short-duration tasks in accessible locations. Scaffold is used for longer-duration tasks and provides a stable working platform with edge protection (guardrails and toe-boards). An access platform such as a tower scaffold or podium step can be used for lower-level work. Weather conditions must always be considered — wind can destabilise lightweight platforms and make surfaces slippery; work at height should be suspended in high winds or icy conditions. All equipment used at height must be inspected regularly by a competent person before and during use, particularly scaffold, which must be inspected at least every seven days. Workers must also control risks from fragile surfaces (such as roof lights and asbestos-cement sheeting) by using crawling boards and edge protection, and from falling objects by using toe-boards, debris netting and exclusion zones at ground level below the work area.
When working at height: plan the work properly before starting; choose the correct access method (MEWP, scaffold or access platform); check weather conditions; use inspected equipment; and control risks from fragile surfaces and falling objects. All these measures are required — not just some of them.
Working in Enclosed Spaces
An enclosed space is a fully or partly enclosed place where there is a foreseeable risk of serious injury from hazardous substances or dangerous conditions. On construction sites, enclosed spaces may include manholes, culverts, storage tanks, sewers, ductwork and deep excavations where the relevant risks are present. Working in these locations introduces a range of hazards that do not exist in open environments.
The main risks in enclosed spaces are: exposure to fumes from solvents, adhesives or welding, which can build up to dangerous concentrations in a confined area; reduced oxygen levels caused by oxygen being displaced or consumed by chemical reactions or decaying organic matter, which can cause rapid unconsciousness and death with no warning; flooding or drowning if water enters the space suddenly; fire and explosive atmospheres from the build-up of flammable gases such as methane from decomposing waste; and entrapment in machinery or by unstable ground or structure. Where the risk assessment identifies an unsafe atmosphere, workers must test air quality before entry and monitor it during the work as needed. They may need breathing apparatus or other suitable PPE.
Crucially, there must always be rescue arrangements in place before anyone enters an enclosed space. This usually includes a trained person outside the space who can raise the alarm and start the rescue plan. A person who becomes unwell inside an enclosed space may be unable to exit under their own power, and an untrained would-be rescuer who enters without proper equipment may themselves become a victim. The rescue plan must be established, practised and understood by everyone involved before the job starts.
Oxygen-deficient or fume-filled atmospheres can incapacitate a person within seconds of entry. An untrained bystander who sees a colleague collapse inside a manhole and rushes in without breathing apparatus may well be overcome themselves by the same atmosphere — creating a second casualty. This is why the law requires rescue arrangements to be planned in advance, and why the trained attendant outside the space must summon emergency services rather than attempt an unequipped rescue. In construction, multiple fatalities in a single enclosed-space incident are not uncommon, and many of the victims were would-be rescuers. The safest rescue is always one carried out by trained personnel using the correct equipment.