Safety has to be a concern of paramount importance, as building sites can be very hazardous places. Common sense will go a long way in ensuring that hazards are minimised. If you are running the site yourself then the tips below will stand you in good stead. If a contractor is running the site then they should be on the ball but, during your visits to the site, you should observe the state of the site - and any on-going work - to ensure that safety is being addressed.
One of the first things you should do is read the relevant material at the Health and Safety Executive web site - and make sure you follow the advice!You should ensure the H&SE are notified in writing before construction work starts - see their pages on Construction, Design and Management Regulations 2007.
Notwithstanding the advice from H&SE, the following are some simple rules for overcoming risks that you may encounter on a daily basis on a building site:
- keep the site tidy - ensure that pieces of brick, block, wood etc are cleared up. It is easy to twist an ankle on any such debris especially as it is difficult to pay constant attention to what is on the floor, for example when carrying bulky materials (on a non-safety note, if you don't clear away dropped wet cement it will stick like crazy to a concrete floor, which you may well need to get rid of at a later date)
- beware of 'sharps' - nails sticking out of pieces of wood. As above, it is easy to tread on a nail that is left in a piece of wood. Always remove protruding nails before discarding or storing wood
- when working on a roof do not leave items where they can slide off, even if lodged on, say, roof battens. Friction may appear to be holding something in place but you cannot rely on it. A piece of wood sliding off a roof may not be stopped by the scaffolding handrails or kickboards.
- wood, especially scaffolding planks, gets very slippery when wet - beware any planks laying on the ground, especially if not level - move them and store neatly
- beware when cutting straps around bulky items, especially blocks and bricks - as sometimes the blocks will tumble out from the pack. If cutting the straps on scaffolding, or at any other height, ensure that no-one is below
