Health and safety for building design and construction

Buildings can present a great number of possible risks both in construction and operation. There are many duties placed on those commissioning, designing, constructing and operating buildings to control those risks.

The legislation affecting health and safety in design and construction falls under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act through regulations that include:

• The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations.
• Building Regulations.
• The Health and safety at work etc Act.
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations.
• Work at Height Regulations.
• The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations.
• The Construction (Head Protection) Regulations.
• The Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations.
• The Work in Compressed Air Regulations.
• The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations.
• The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations.
• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH).
• The Manual Handling Operations Regulations.
• The Control of Noise at Work Regulations.
• The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations.
• The Control of Asbestos Regulations.
• The Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations.
• The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations.
• The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations.

A full list is available in the appendices of HSE Health and safety in construction, although some of the regulations listed in the publication have since been revoked following revisions to The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations in 2007 (the revoked legislation is listed in the appendices of the Approved Code of Practice. Managing health and safety in construction).

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM regulations) 2015, in particular, are intended to ensure that health and safety issues are properly considered during a project’s development. They include general requirements that apply to all projects and additional duties that only apply to notifiable construction projects (where the construction work is likely to last longer than 30 working days and have more than 20 workers working simultaneously at any point in the project, or exceed 500 person days).

The CDM regulations impose duties on:

• The client.
• Designers.
• Principal designer
• Principal contractor.
• Contractors.
• Workers.

Many additional requirements are placed on the design of buildings by the Building Regulations (such as Part A: structural safety, Part B: fire safety, Part K: protection from falling, Part N: glazing safety, Part P: electrical safety, etc.).

NB: Under the Health and Safety (Fees) Regulations, the Fee for Intervention scheme allows the Health and Safety Executive to recover the costs of intervention from those who fail to comply with health and safety legislation.

For additional information, see articles on CDM and Building Regulations.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Achieve safety in demolition.
• Anti-fatigue mats.
• Automated external defibrillator AED.
• BEIS Reforming Regulation Initiative.
• BS 7883.
• BS 7883 guide released.
• BS ISO 45003 Psychological health and safety at work - managing psychosocial risks.
• Carbon monoxide Requirement J3.
• Causes of sinkholes.
• Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures UK.
• Competent person.
• Construction Health and Safety Group CHSG.
• Construction health risks.
• Construction Site Security guide.
• Construction sites urged to integrate test and trace.
• Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 CAR12.
• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH).
• COVID-19 and mental health within construction firms.
• Deleterious materials.
• Demolition.
• Design risk management (DRM)
• Emergency services.
• Environmental health.
• Explosives.
• Fee for intervention.
• First aider.
• Five great things about civil engineering.
• Health and safety at work etc act 1974.
• Health and safety consultant.
• Health and Safety Executive.
• Health and safety file.
• Health and safety inspector.
• Health and safety offences, corporate manslaughter and food safety and hygiene offences definitive guideline.
• Health and safety policy.
• Health and safety strategy.
• Health performance indicators in the built environment.
• Heat stress.
• Hot water safety in health and social care settings.
• How to keep workers safe around machinery.
• Injuries on construction sites.
• Keeping commercial premises safe during extreme times.
• Keeping your mind on the job.
• Lock out tag out LOTO.
• Managing stressful issues in construction.
• Near miss.
• Notification to HSE.
• Occupational health.
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA.
• Pandemic safety for on-site accommodations.
• Personal protective equipment.
• Pre-construction information.
• Principal contractor.
• Proximity warning systems.
• Public Health Act 1984.
• Registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals REACH.
• Reporting accidents and injuries on construction sites.
• Safety.
• Safety as a Service.
• Safety management.
• Safety tips for construction workers.
• Security after COVID-19.
• Site induction.
• Slip and trip hazards.
• Social distancing on construction sites.
• Statutory obligations.
• Stop Make a Change SMAC-20.
• Study reveals cost of inefficient contact tracing.
• The impact of silicosis on the construction industry.
• Understanding and managing workplace stress is critically important to civil engineers.
• Understanding mental health in the built environment.
• Work at height regulations.
• Work at height rescue plan.
• Workplace drug testing methods.
• Workplace safety supplies.

[edit] External references

• COHME Construction occupational health management essentials (COHME).
• See HSE guidance on health and safety in construction.
• See HSE guidance on CDM Regulations.
• HSE Health and safety in construction.
• HSE Construction Guidance resources.
• Workplace Safety Blog
• Legal series guidance (L153). Managing health and safety in construction.
• OGC Achieving Excellence Guide 10 - Through Health and Safety.
• Workplace Safety: A Practical Guide for your Business and Employees

Comments

This is a really useful list of resources to have online - thank you for sharing. I've worked in construction for many years now and am thinking of branching out into starting my own company, so having access to information such as this is appreciated. Was also wondering if anyone had any information/experience with this company, Crowd Control Solutions? I want to get a fair bit of my stuff from them and just wanted the all-clear from others. Again, many thanks for sharing!