CONSTRUCTION
   SITE SAFETY
   Your practical guide to 2020 
   construction site safety
          INTRODUCTION
          Every year in the UK and across Northern Europe, construction site workers suffer from injuries,  
          ill-health or fatal accidents as a result of their work. In the UK alone last year, the Health and Safety 
          Executive revealed that there were over 550,000 non-fatal injuries, according to self-reports.  
          To ensure safety compliance on construction sites in     In this guide, we cover everything from the regulations  
          2020, compliance managers are required to undertake      you need to follow, to the tools and systems that can 
          considerable due diligence and planning. This doesn’t    significantly improve site safety, providing all the  
          just include the company’s legal responsibilities and    information required to create a better, safer and more 
          obligations, but the practical issues associated with    profitable construction business.
          day-to-day construction work as well. 
          CONTENTS
          Construction site safety and the law                  3  Promoting safety off-site                            10
          Most common accidents and safety concerns             4  • Preparing for work
          What causes these Health and Safety risks             5  • Certification and training
          Promoting safety on-site                              7  • Asset management
          • Setting up the site                                    Next steps                                           12
          • Preventing injuries on-site
                                                                                                                         2
         CONSTRUCTION  
         SITE SAFETY AND 
         THE LAW
          An essential part of any compliance manager’s job 
          is to understand their legal obligations and duties                      ACCORDING TO 
          and ensure their business is fully compliant.                            EUROSTAT’S 
          Each country has their own specific regulations that                     ACCIDENTS AT 
          construction companies need to be aware of, which                        WORK STATISTICS, 
          put forward various obligations for employers to                         WITHIN THE EU, 
          follow. These regulations cover all aspects of worker’s                  OVER 20% OF ALL 
          health, safety and overall well being, including:                        FATAL ACCIDENTS 
                                                                                   AT WORK IN 2015 
          •  General health and safety                                             TOOK PLACE WITHIN 
          •  Safety and welfare of workers specifically on                         THE CONSTRUCTION 
            construction sites                                                     SECTOR.
          •  Working conditions and environment
          •  Handling, operating, and working with and / or 
            around equipment 
          In the UK, construction site safety guidelines are  
          controlled by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) - 
          the government agency responsible for the regulation 
          and enforcement of workplace health, safety and  
          welfare. For more information on HSE’s guidelines on 
          construction site safety, visit their website.
                                                                                                                     3
         MOST COMMON 
         ACCIDENTS AND 
         SAFETY CONCERNS
         There are various health and safety risks  
         inherent within construction work. Unfortunately,       KEY TAKEAWAYS
         this is part and parcel of the sector, and while  
         governments have various regulations in place            The construction sector is responsible for 20%  
         to protect the safety of workers, thousands of           of all fatal accidents at work across Europe 
         accidents still happen on construction sites              
         every year.                                              Slips and trips are the most common non-fatal 
                                                                  accident on construction sites 
         When looking at Northern Europe, across the UK            
                                                                  Falls from height are the most common fatal  
         alone in 2018, there were over 550,000 non-fatal         accident on construction sites 
         injuries reported on construction sites according to      
         the HSE’s Kinds of Accident 2018 report, as well as      The UK and Northern Europe has a good safety 
                                                                  record compared to other EU member states
         144 fatal accidents. These figures, however, are lower 
         than the majority of EU member states, according to 
         the Health and Safety statistics in the United Kingdom 
         2019, with only Finland having had a lower rate of fatal 
         injuries at work:
         Standardised incidence rates (per 100,000 employees) of fatal injury  
         at work, excluding road traffic accidents and accidents on board  
         transport in the course of work for 2015 (Eurostat, EASW, 2015)                          
                                                                                                  
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