Risk Assessment for a Construction Site or Plant
A construction site risk assessment will vary massively depending on the size of the construction site in question. You’ll want to use a site-specific risk assessment format so you can tailor each element for your particular work environment.
Identifying the Potential Hazards on a Construction Site
The most common cause of fatal injuries across all industries is falling from height. Working at height is not only a fall risk but also increases the risk of other work-related injuries like strains and sprains. Generally, the fatal injury rate in construction is 4 times higher than the average across all workplaces. As so many workplace injuries and fatalities are avoidable it’s imperative to be thorough when identifying the risks on a construction site.
Tools and equipment will be a major priority when managing risk on your site. Both must be kept in good working order, but you must also ensure everyone on the site uses them properly.
Access points are a hot spot for risk if not accompanied by adequate signage. Your site may be somewhere with a high footfall around from the general public, so it’s imperative that no unauthorised persons accidentally end up on-site. You also need to assess the risks associated with your potential access points to determine where it is safest to have staff coming through. If your access points are close to public walkways or busy roads, make sure there are processes for managing traffic when staff or vehicles are entering or leaving the site. Vehicle movement once on site is another area where your employees and the public may be at risk. Clear directions for traffic flow and pedestrianised areas are crucial for reducing the risks associated with vehicles on site.
Who Is at Risk — and How?
Your workers will be at risk from all of the above, and you’ll need to consider both employees and contractors in your construction site risk assessment. As mentioned above, noise is a risk that can cause lifelong health conditions and hearing problems. This is an instance where providing personal protective equipment can help mitigate risks. You should also be considering if other risks would benefit from PPE like high vis vests and hard hats.
Risks to the public need to be addressed before work commences as you cannot counteract these risks with training, the way you would with staff. Noise is also a risk you’ll need to assess on your construction site, considering both the risk to workers but also the public. Noise risk may change often due to the nature of the work, so be sure to keep assessing this risk as your site changes.
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How You’re Currently Controlling Risks
You may have measures in place already to help mitigate risk on your construction site, for example, ensuring all workers on site have foundation training and relevant certifications. If everyone on site has a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card your risk management foundation is in the training they’ve received as part of their qualifications.
Including your construction site risk assessment in your operatives’ inductions reinforces the standards and compliance requirements necessary to manage risks.
Additional Control Action Required
Tools require regular maintenance, be it grinding or sharpening. Make sure tool maintenance checks are a part of your frequent assessments to keep meeting high standards.
Some risks may come to light once you have staff on-site and they encounter new issues you couldn’t have pre-empted. Talk to the people to get an idea of what barriers they have encountered in the early stages of a project and any risks to safety on-site they’ve identified. This can give you a really useful insight into the more day to day risks as well as large scale threats to workplace safety.
Who Is Responsible for Carrying Out the Actions?
Construction sites will delegate the risk assessment actions differently between the Site Foreman, Site Managers, and Supervisors. What is key here is that each person knows what they are responsible for risk assessment actions, and are confident in how to do that. Communicating effectively to your teams should be noted in your risk assessment, and clear information should be accessible to everyone on-site at all times. Your construction site risk assessment will need to include clear plans of action, including deadlines. Make sure you follow up actions with the person responsible.
Though workers have a responsibility for the maintenance and correct usage of tools, it is the responsibility of the Supervisor to ensure workers are using the correct tool for a job, and also that they’re using them correctly. Thorough training is just the beginning of that process, it should be supervised throughout a project so you can ensure standards are not slipping after the initial training.
Deadline for Construction Site Action
As your site takes shape, the needs of your construction site risk assessment will change. Make sure you are frequently assessing new risks and changes to circumstances that will alter the basis of your original risk assessment. Have a routine in place for inspecting and assessing risks and actions.
Free Risk Assessment Template
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