Apprentice Health and Safety Awareness Training

Domestic Arrangements

• 1 day Health and Safety Awareness course designed to enhance the safety of apprentices in the construction industry

• Created by the Scottish Building Apprenticeship and Training Council (SBATC)

• Approved by the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS)

Health and Safety Awareness Training

• Plastic ‘bank card’ sized document that is important in verifying your identity and certification level to various stakeholders in the construction industry

• Increasingly required to gain access to site • Some apprentices may already possess a Green

(Labourer / General Operative) CSCS card – a new card will be required to reflect your position as an apprentice

CSCS Cards

Health and Safety Awareness Training

• Information displayed on the card includes your name, CSCS number, trade, photograph and the card expiry date

• Valid for 4.5 years for all Scottish apprentices • SBATC logo displayed on the reverse to verify apprenticeship

registration

CSCS Apprentice Card

• Your photograph will be taken, stored on the SBATC database and displayed on your CSCS card

• CSCS photograph specifications;• Passport style photograph• Taken against a plain background, in colour, clear and in

focus • Looking at camera, eyes open, no ‘red eye’• Free from reflection and glare form glasses • Natural expression with mouth closed • No sunglasses, hats, caps, shadows and without hair

covering your face

Photographs

You will be issued with a red ‘Apprentice’ CSCS card if:

• You satisfy the instructor that you have offered your full attention throughout this health and safety awareness course (i.e. participation and completion of workbook)

and…. • Your employer registers your apprenticeship with

SBATC

CSCS Apprentice Card

• Your employer should register your apprenticeship with SBATC within 8 weeks of your apprenticeship commencing

• The SBATC registration process involves the submission of an indenture agreement form signed by you, your employer and a parent or guardian (if appropriate)

• Your employer pays for the issue of the card through the SBATC registration fee

SBATC Registration

• The card will be posted directly to your home address as recorded on your SBATC indenture agreement

• You should inform your employer once you have

received your CSCS card • Important to retain the card in good condition;

• Your employer may require you to display CSCS certification in order to allow you access to site

• £30 fee for replacement cards to be issued

CSCS Apprentice Card

General ResponsibilitiesConsultation

Law and Enforcement Section A: Legal and Management

• Construction is an exciting industry

• Wide opportunity for career options and prospects

• Innovative work practices….

• But also one of the UK’s most dangerous environments because of the ever changing landscape of the working situation

• Apprentices are particularly vulnerable to suffering accidents due to lack of experience and knowledge

Introduction Section A: Legal and Management

Facts:

• Around 2.1 million people employed in UK Construction

• Approximately 175,000 construction firms

• 90% of firms employ less than 10 workers

• Approximately 50+ fatalities per year

• Around 2500 major injuries per year

Construction FactsSection A: Legal and Management

This course is designed to help keep you safe by;

• Making you aware of the steps and procedures in place to develop and enforce health and safety across the industry

• Help you understand your role in achieving safe conditions at work

• Help you understand the significance of the Health & Safety at Work Act and other legislation

Your Safety Section A: Legal and Management

Aims and objectives of the course:

• To ensure Industry has a competent workforce• To increase worker participation in health and safety• Enable you to contribute to safety through consultation

Cooperation is a key strategy in health and safety management

Competence is achieved through: • Training • Knowledge• Experience

Aims and ObjectivesSection A: Legal and Management

General Responsibilities, Consultation and Law Enforcement

In the construction sector the management of health and safety is the responsibility of the Site Manager….

…. however it is everyone's responsibility to work safely and report unsafe conditions on site

How is health and safety managed and reinforced on site?

Managing Health and Safety Section A: Legal and Management

Health and Safety on site is reinforced by;

• Health & Safety Policy (this sets out how Health and Safety is managed within the Company)

• Site Inductions (explain the health and safety rules of the site)

• Toolbox Talks (short training sessions on Health and Safety topics)

• The explanation of Risk Assessments and Method Statements

• The enforcement of permit-to-work systems

Managing Health and SafetySection A: Legal and Management

Other methods of communication might include:

• Safety briefings• Posters• Suggestion boxes• Consultation meetings• Open door policies

Sharing Information and Knowledge Section A: Legal and Management

Site Managers must:

• Know when you are on site• Give you a site induction• Give you specific site information• Encourage communication• Keep you up to date and informed

Employer Responsibilities Section A: Legal and Management

All employees, including apprentices, must;

• Respect and follow site rules• Safely prepare for each task• Carry out each task responsibly know when to stop i.e. if anything is unsafe• Report anything that is unsafe• Cooperate and get involved• Continue with life-long learning

Employee Responsibilities Section A: Legal and Management

• For Health and Safety purposes the legal system has different strands:

• Common Law - law that has evolved over the years - based on the principle of natural justice and fairness

• Contract Law – your SBATC indentured agreement with your employer

• Statute Law – law made (and changed) by the Government of the day

Legal System Section A: Legal and Management

• Health and Safety in the workplace is enshrined in the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA)

• This is the primary legislation

• Additional Regulations deal with the detail of the legal standards employers must meet

Statute Law Section A: Legal and Management

The Health & Safety at Work Act is importantbecause:-

• It places legal duties on you as an employee (you must work safely)

• It places legal duties on your employer (who must provide a safe place of work)

• The Health and Safety at Work Act also applies to the self employed

• The Act is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

Health and Safety and the Law Section A: Legal and Management

The purpose of the Health and Safety at Work Act is….

• To raise the standards of health and safety for people at work

• But also to protect people not at work but whose health and safety is at risk by the activities of people who are at work

…. intended to protect everybody

Health and Safety at Work Act Section A: Legal and Management

What should an employer do for you?

Provide and maintain:

• Safe and healthy place of work• Safe systems of work• Information, instruction, training and supervision• Safe plant and equipment • Safe access and egress• Adequate welfare facilities• Safe transport and storage of materials and

substances

General Duties of an Employer Section A: Legal and Management

Health and Safety at Work Act Section 9 – Forbids an employer from charging his employee for any measure which they (the employer) is required by law to provide.

Other Employer Duties Section A: Legal and Management

Section 7 & 8 of the Act requires an employee:

• To take reasonable care of their own health and safety and others who may be affected by their acts or omissions

• To co-operate with your employer to enable that employer to comply with his duties

• These sections create an offence for anyone to intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of health and safety while at work

General Duties of an Employee Section A: Legal and Management

Repercussions for breaching the Act…

• Contravention of the Act or any statutory requirement can lead to summary prosecution in the Sheriff’s Court or indictment in the High Court

• Both employer and employee can be prosecuted

Health and Safety at Work Act Section A: Legal and Management

• Lower Court (Sheriff’s Court) – Summary prosecution, £20,000 fine and / or 12 months imprisonment

• Higher Court – on indictment (judge & jury)unlimited fine and / or two years imprisonment

• Exceptions for Sections 7 of HASWA - (£5,000)

Health and Safety (Offences) Act Section A: Legal and Management

Health and Safety Executive Section A: Legal and Management

Health and Safety Executive Inspectors may inspect any site at any time without notice

Health and Safety Executive Inspectors may issue: • Improvements Notices (this means you are not

working in a safe way)• Prohibition Notices (all work subject to the notice

must stop)• If you are told that a Health and Safety Executive

Inspector is on site you should always carry on working as normal unless you are asked to stop

Site Induction Section A: Legal and Management

• When you first start on site you should always attend site induction - this is when the health and safety rules for the site will be explained

• If you do not understand anything the presenter has said you should always ask the presenter to explain in further detail

• If after time you feel that the safety rules for the site are out of date you should always speak to your supervisor about your concerns

As a minimum site Induction should include the following:

• The site rules• Where you will be working• Welfare facilities• Information on any area where you cannot go• Emergency and first aid arrangements• Current site hazards

Site Induction Section A: Legal and Management

Situational Awareness

Situational Awareness Section A: Legal and Management

Where and when should situational awareness techniques be used?

Assessment of your working environment should occur continually, but especially in the following situations:

• When beginning work on a new project or contract• When you think the work environment has

changed since a risk assessment or method statement was written

• When working with new or different workmates• Before complacency has set in – it can be a silent

killer!

Situational Awareness Techniques Section A: Legal and Management

Get in the habit of regularly pausing to make a quick mental assessment of your working environment

When doing so, consider the following:

• Is there anything around you that poses a threat to your health and safety and if so, to what extent?

• Is the threat big enough that you should stop working?

• Is there anything you can do to safely reduce that threat in order that you can carry on working safely?

Situational Awareness Section A: Legal and Management

• If you see something unsafe or spot a hazard, don’t walk by

• take responsibility to deal with it

• If you feel you are in any immediate danger to your health or safety STOP work immediately and inform your supervisor

Don’t Walk By! Section A: Legal and Management

Risk Assessment (Methodology of Safety)

• By law risk assessments must be completed for all work activities

• Risk assessments help to identify hazards in the workplace and how to do a job safely

• You do not have to prepare your own Risk Assessments – this is an employer responsibility

Risk Assessments Section A: Legal and Management

• The findings of a risk assessment will result in the production of a Method Statement – this indicates the safest and correct way to do a job, the level of competency and training required and the materials, tools and equipment to be utilised

• If you find that you cannot do a job in accordance with the method statement you should not start work until you have spoken to your supervisor

Method Statements Section A: Legal and Management

Hazard: • anything with the potential to cause harm

(physical presence – electricity, noise, work at height, use of tools etc)

Risk: • the likelihood that the hazard will actually cause

harm

Hazard v Risk Section A: Legal and Management

• The requirement for Permits to Work will be referred to during site induction

• Permits to Work allow certain jobs to be carried out under controlled conditions

• If a job requires a permit you will not be allowed to start the job until the Permit to Work has been issued

• If a Permit to Work expires before a job is finished you must stop work until the permit has been replaced

Permits to Work Section A: Legal and Management

Accident Preventing and Reporting

• The construction industry accounts for more than a quarter of all work related deaths in the UK each year

• The vast majority of death in the workplace involve falling from height

• Recent statistics show around 2,200 serious injuries occur from site activities in the UK every year

• For these reasons, effective accident prevention and reporting procedures are essential

Accident Preventing and Reporting Section A: Legal and Management

Accidents in the workplace can be split into three main categories:

• Serious Accidents (result in death or serious injury)• Minor Accidents (minor injuries, such as slips, trips and

falls) • Near misses (incidents where someone could have been

injured)

Accidents and near misses should always be reported to your supervisor

This enables us learn from them and ensure that they do not happen again

Accidents in the Workplace Section A: Legal and Management

Definition of an Accident?

For Reporting of Injuries Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR):

• An accident is a separate, identifiable, unintended incident that causes physical injury

• Unplanned, unwanted event or occurrence that may result in injury to persons and / or damage to plant or property

(Near-miss incident)

RIDDOR Section A: Legal and Management

Unsafe Situation Near Miss Accident

Near–miss Incident Section A: Legal and Management

Many accidents occur when someone first starts work on site

Why???• unaware of the health and safety rules or regulations!

Accidents can be avoided by:• Being fully aware of the safety rules on site (site induction

and any subsequent toolbox talks)• Being aware of the risk assessment for a task • Understanding the method statement to carry out the task

Accident Prevention Section A: Legal and Management

• Report any unsafe working conditions to your supervisor, even if another contractor is responsible

• Ensure that your working area is kept clean and tidy (this helps prevent slips, trips and falls)

Watch out for nails!

Accident Prevention Section A: Legal and Management

• If you are injured or feel ill in any way always report it to a first aider

• Make sure any cuts or lacerations are cleaned and treated by a first aider

• If not your hand could go from looking like this…

• To looking like this…

Accidents Section A: Legal and Management

An entry into the Accident Report Book must be filled in if you are injured in any way, no matter how minor

The following details should be recorded in the Accident Report Book;

• The date and time of the accident• Details of the accident• Accident Report Books must only be filled in by you or by

someone acting for you

Accident Report Books Section A: Legal and Management

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)

The requirements for accident reporting are contained in the Reporting of Injuries, Disease and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)

• By law some accidents must be reported to the HSE

These include accidents that result in: • Death• Specified serious injury • More than 7 consecutive days off work

Accident Reporting and the Law Section A: Legal and Management

Specified injuries Includes:

• A fracture (other than fingers or toes)• Amputation• Dislocation of shoulder, hip or knee• Loss of sight• Injury resulting from electric shock

Specified Injury Section A: Legal and Management

“Specified Major Injury”

RIDDOR Section A: Legal and Management

The victim: (i.e you)pain & suffering; loss of earnings; disability; incapacity for the same job; incapacity for hobbies

The Employer:time lost by victim / by others through curiosity etc; time spent investigating; “down” time; rise in insurance; prosecution; damage to reputation

The Cost of Accidents Section A: Legal and Management

The persons directly involved:worry & stress; recrimination or guilt; extra work created; loss of credibility

The working group: shock; personal grief; low moral follows an accident; loss production

The nation:hospital beds occupied; social security payments

The Cost of Accidents Section A: Legal and Management

Common causes of accidents include:

• Falling From height• Slips and falls on the ‘level’• Manual handling• Struck by mobile plant• Trapped in excavation• Exposure to hazardous substances• Any others?

Common Types of Accidents Section A: Legal and Management

Discuss the following:

1. Unsafe Conditions

2. Unsafe Acts

Safety Discussion Section A: Legal and Management

Unsafe conditions may include the following;

• Unstable or dangerous working platforms/areas• Dangerous machinery• Missing scaffold rails or edge protection• Materials and trip hazards on the floor• Blocked access routes and exits• Excessive noise levels • Dust in the air• External factors such as the weather

Unsafe Conditions Section A: Legal and Management

Unsafe acts may include the following examples;

• Failure to report unsafe situations when spotted• Removing guards from machines• Failing to undertake inspections or carry out

correctly – e.g. plant, equipment or scaffold• Removal of guardrails• Leaving materials on floor • Blocking walk ways and escape routes• Cutting corners• Failure to wear PPE correctly or not wearing PPE• Putting chemicals in unmarked containers• Using machines or tools without training.

Unsafe Acts Section A: Legal and Management

Problems can arise from employees:

• Their actions or behaviour at work• Attitude to / perception of safety

“It won’t happen to me”

Individual behaviour is often a factor in accidents.

How do you view safety?

Unsafe Acts Section A: Legal and Management

Unsafe people + Unsafe acts = Accidents

How do we change?• Supervise,• Educate and Train

Apprentices have an opportunity to change that culture

Behavioural Safety Section A: Legal and Management

Behavioural causes of unsafe acts may include;

• Laziness• Distractions – mobile phones / headphone music• Forgetfulness• Personal pressure – get away on time, problems at

home• Lack of experience or training• Pressures from peers

Behavioural Safety Section A: Legal and Management

• Follow safe systems of work (method statements)

• Follow site rules• Don’t take short cuts• Stop work if there is a problem and report• Report accidents• Report near misses• Cooperate in any investigation

Prevention - Summary Section A: Legal and Management

Other problems arising from the workplace:

• Poor housekeeping • Site layout and space availability• Ever changing environment

Unfortunately, standards of housekeeping and workplace layout are low in construction when compared with other industrial sectors.

Other Factors Section A: Legal and Management

Poor communication within work teams:

• Language barriers • Physical distance between work colleagues • high levels of background noise

In many accidents those injured are not directly involved in the task but moving around the site

Other Factors Section A: Legal and Management

First Aid at Work Regulations

Injuries on site may Include…

Cuts & Scrapes

Puncture wounds

Burns

Broken Bones

Electric shocks

And many more…

Injuries Section A: Legal and Management

Employers must provide and inform you of the following ….

• Trained people to respond to an emergency• The correct type of first aid equipment • The location of first aid equipment• What happens in the absence of the first aider

(an appointed person to take control)• Supplementary equipment such as stretchers• First aid rooms• Any arrangements for lone workers

Employer Responsibilities Section A: Legal and Management

What can go wrong?

• Fire• Collapse of structure• Persons trapped or needing assistance• Serious injury• Chemical spill• Other examples?

Emergencies Section A: Legal and Management

When you arrive on site it is essential that you understand the Emergency Procedures for the site and are able to locate:

• The fire exits on site • The fire assembly points on site• The emergency telephones numbers for the site

This information may be gained by reading the site notice boards or attending a site induction

If there is an accident always follow the site emergency procedures

Emergency Procedures Section A: Legal and Management

Should you discover a casualty….

• Make sure you do not place yourself in danger• Assess the situation• If safe to do so remove or isolate the hazard• Go to the casualty and find out what is wrong• Call for help / emergency services• Return and keep the casualty calm until help arrives

Casualties Section A: Legal and Management

• First Aid on site must only be administered by qualified First Aiders

• If you are not qualified in First Aid, you should always ask someone to get the First Aider or ask someone to call the emergency services

• Remember, if you are not qualified in First Aid you may do the casualty more harm than good

First Aid Procedures Section A: Legal and Management

Questions Section A: Legal and Management