SITE SAFETY

Building Materials & Skips
It is an offence to leave building materials on a public highway (footpath or road). Always make sure that when materials are delivered they are unloaded directly onto the site.

The placing of builders skips on the highway requires the permission of the Highway Authority. For further information please contact the Council’s Highways Section for further information.

Contractors Vehicles
If vehicles can be parked on the site this will avoid creating unnecessary traffic hazards and inconvenience to neighbours, pedestrians and road users. It will also ease the safe delivery of materials.

Protective Clothing & Equipment
It is a legal requirement that hard hats be worn at all times on construction sites by both workers and visitors to the site. Workers must be provided with clothing and equipment that gives appropriate protection. This would include:- steel toe capped footwear, gloves, protection for the eyes and ears etc.

Scaffolding
Scaffolding must be safe to work on, properly tied and braced and on a firm footing. Ensure toe-boards and guard-rails are used and that the scaffold is not overloaded. Ladders must be correctly placed and adequately fixed and appropriate for the work involved. If there is any risk of over-reaching, a scaffold or scaffold tower should be used.

Excavations
Excavations, in particular excavations in excess of 1.2m, must be effectively and properly shored where people are working in them. Where excavations are left open for any length of time their perimeters should be guarded and/or taped off and the void covered by suitable material to prevent falls into the excavation.

Site Security
Try to keep the site secure when unoccupied. This will help prevent theft or vandalism of equipment that may result in danger to operatives. Immobilise plant and equipment, remove ladders and secure gates and fencing. Provide safety warning signs indicating that building work is being undertaken and that building sites can be dangerous places.

Further Information:

If you are having construction work done, you may need to notify the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and may have other duties as well – click here to find out more.

Detailed information on technical matters and legal requirements concerned with building and construction operations is available from the following organisation:-

The Health and Safety Executive
Priestley House
Priestley Road
Basing stoke
RG24 9NW
Tel: 01256 404000

Please note that this information is intended to give basic guidance only. It is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all safety considerations associated with building/construction operations. However, we hope the guidance is useful in identifying some of the hazards and risks likely to be encountered in this type of work.