Health and Safety Demonstration Goes Wrong and Becomes a YouTube Hit
Viral videos zoon over the Internet thanks to sites like YouTube. Once a video has been caught it spreads quickly, amassing thousands of viewings. Sometimes this can create superstars, and other times it can bring serious matters to the attention of the public and corporation owners.
A Series of Mistakes Shown to over 200,000 People World Wide
The latter is what happened to a Health and Safety officer who was employed by Morrisons in Gateshead. Despite being well aware of health and safety protocol Mr Cavanagh is clearly seen up a ladder without wearing a hardhat. His aim of the video was to demonstrate the use of a safety harness designed to stop accidents from occurring while working on ladders. He was supposed to demonstrate the harness as a brand new safety measure; however it didn’t quite work out that way.
When Mr Cavanagh was asked to step off the ladder to show that the system was safe the ladder slipped and he came crashing to the ground. Thankfully he was not hurt as one of the other Morrison employees threw a hard hat to him just before he side stepped off the ladder.
Head Injuries a Major Concern in the Construction Industries
Any health and safety consultant will be able to tell you the amount of head injuries which occur within the construction industry. Hard hats are essential kit, and it was a huge error when Mr Cavanagh choose to be filmed giving a safety demonstration. Therefore since the video can be used as proof Mr Cavanagh has now been suspended from work while Morrisons carry out a full investigation.
Companies like Morrisons have to take safety extremely seriously as they could risk being investigated and potentially prosecuted by the HSE. Health and Safety consultants work with many businesses across the West Midlands and over the UK to make sure that all their employees understand the safety protocols and are properly trained in the hope that accidents will be completely avoided.
Health and Safety Services for the Construction Industry
Another of the health and safety services besides training is assisting with complying to the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. A legal requirement of the CDM regulations is the production of a Health and Safety File. This is a document which is provided for the client and is where all the health and safety details are recorded during the duration of the product.
Health and safety consultants also make certain services readily available for the construction industry. The construction phase plan template can be instantly downloaded and provides a template which is fully compliant with the CDM Regulations. This can then be edited and completed by the Principal Contractor before work is started on site.
To find out more about basic health and safety training for all of your employees and for assistance complying with the legal requirements set out by the CDM Regulations 2007 contact the health and safety consultants. Call 0800 1488 677 and enquire into all of the various services which can protect your from prosecution and reduce the risk of accidents and injuries from occurring in site.
CDM Regulations 2007: The right advice for Clients
As a client if you are about to alter or extend a building or structure, thinking of putting up a new one or demolishing an existing one, then the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 place a number of specific duties on you. The aim of these Regulations is to make Health & Safety an essential and integral part of the planning and management of projects and to make sure that everyone works together to reduce the risk to the Health & Safety of those who work on the structure, who may be affected by these works, or who will use it as a place or work once it’s completed.
Get an instant fee quote online with our CDM Coordinators Fees calculator
The CDM regulations separate construction projects into two types – dependent on how long they take to build and how many people are involved. The two types are:
- Non-Notifiable Projects – where the project is likely to involve LESS THAN 30 days or 500 person days of construction work
- Notifiable projects – where the project is likely to involve MORE THAN 30 days or 500 person days of construction work If you are in doubt, you should assume that the project is Notifiable
The Regulations mostly require you to ensure that a number of things are done rather than actually do them yourself. On Non-Notifiable Projects you can ask a Designer or Contractor for assistance or you can appoint someone to help you. On Notifiable projects the CDM Co-ordinator is there to help you carry out those duties and will advise you throughout the project on what needs to be done.
On all projects you must
- Check competence and resources of all appointees (Designers, Contractors and other team members)
- Co operate and coordinate with others involved in the project
- Ensure there are suitable management arrangements in place throughout the project to ensure that construction work can be carried out safely
- Check any workplace design will comply with the Workplace health safety and welfare regulations.
- Allow sufficient time and resources for all stages of the project
- Provide pre-construction information to designers and contractors
- Check arrangements have been made by the contractor for suitable welfare facilities
In addition on Notifiable projects you must
- Appoint CDM co-ordinator before significant design work is carried out to advise and assist with the clients duties under the regulations.
- Provide information relating to the health and safety file to the CDM co-ordinator
- Appoint principal contractor as soon as practicable to plan and manage the construction work.
- Make sure that the construction phase does not start unless
- There are suitable welfare facilities
- A construction phase plan is in place.
- Retain the health and safety file and make it available to anyone who may need it in the future. You must also update it whenever necessary and hand it to anyone who acquires an interest in the building.
If you fail to appoint a ‘CDM Co-ordinator’ or ‘Principal Contractor’ you will be legally liable for their duties and will be deemed to be carrying them out and you could leave yourself open to potentially very expensive civil action and a criminal prosecution by the HSE.
Getting the right people to do what they are supposed to do under these regulations is important you need to be sure that those you appoint are competent and capable of carrying out their work on your particular project. Veritas Consulting Management’s CDM co-ordinators are trained and qualified in health and safety and are registered members of the Association for Project Safety. Our staff can advise and assist you in carrying out all your duties under CDM 2007.
For Further information please contact us
CDM Coordinators Fees – how much do they cost?
CDM Coordinator - a proactive integral member of the project delivery team and a key health and safety advisor to the client.
As client accepting low fees will increase your chances of risk management problems with your project. We believe our fee is probably the most competitive in the industry. Our costs reflects what’s necessary to carry out a full and proper CDMC function as required by the CDM Regulations and associated ACOP and industry guidance.
Get an instant fee quote online with our CDM Coordinators Fees calculator
CDM Coordinators fee typical guide - 0.1% where the build cost is between £1.5m and £5m. Fees are negotiable above £5million, whilst projects below £1.5m usually attract a fee of between £850 and £1,500.
Check out our main website for the CDM Coordinators fee sliding scale
If clients accept low fees then the following just will not happen.
What do our CDM coordinators costs allow?
- We will provide adequate resources to deliver the CDM coordinator Role.
- We will attend design team meetings,
- We will coordinate health and safety aspects of the design,
- We will liaise with principal contractors and manage pre construction information,
- We will produce health and safety files,
- We advise and assist our clients from start to finish.
It’s fair to say that the “cheapest price does not mean best value” what it means is that CDM coordinators will not be able to operate as efficiently and effectively as they should do as the key adviser to the client if the fee won’t allow them to do so.
By the way; any Designer, Architect or Engineer who recommends Veritas Consulting to their client can claim a 5% commission.
…expert CDM Coordinators Birmingham, West Midlands – learn more about the CDM C Service and make a quick online enquiry here.
Creating a Construction Phase Plan Template
Creating a Construction Phase Plan compliance with the CDM Regulations
The Construction Phase Plan must be prepared by a Principal Contractor for a notifiable project in compliance with CDM prior to works commence. A Construction Phase Plan seeks to convey information provided by the client, CDM Coordinators, designers and others and efforts must be made to produce a document which is as comprehensive as possible.
It should be noted, however, that an initial Construction Phase Plan does not seek to be exhaustive – there may be unidentified hazards, which are present on the site, in the existing structures or arise during the planned works. The focus in this stage of the Plan document is to highlight known major hazards, particularly those which may be regarded as non-standard or abnormal in some way. The absence of a reference to a specific hazard should not be taken as a warranty that such a hazard is not present or cannot and will not arise during the works.
A Construction Phase Plan addresses health and safety issues.
Using a Construction Phase Plan Template
The Construction Phase Plan is to be developed by the principal contractor throughout the life of the project and should become a specific document which sets out the arrangements for securing the health and safety of all those carrying out the work and all others who may be affected by it.
When developing the health and safety plan the principal contractor should identify the hazards and assess the risk at each of the main stages of the construction phase including but not necessarily limited to those identified in the pre construction information. The principal contractor should also identify his organisation and arrangements for managing health, safety and the environment.
The Construction Phase Health and Safety Plan needs to be kept up to date, modified and altered in the light of changing circumstances. As the construction work progresses safety method statements and information from contractors starting during the various work stages will invariably mean parts of the health and safety plan have to be amended and updated.
Regular reviews of parts of the plan need to be made if there are design changes unforeseen circumstances etc. It is vital that such changes are notified to all those working on site who may be affected, in particular the CDM Coordinator.
CDM Regulations – Liabilities for Project Managers
CDM Legal Liabilities of Project Managers
This brief overview raises the question of what the Project Manager’s criminal liabilities would be if their advice or omissions contributed to a Client failing to fulfil one of their statutory duties.
Ultimately, the project manager could be prosecuted through application of Section 36 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASWA). This states that “where the commission by any person of an offence under any of the relevant statutory provisions is due to the act or default of some other person, that other person shall be guilty of the offence, and a person may be charged with and convicted of the offence by virtue of this subsection whether or not proceedings are taken against the first-mentioned person.”
In other words, a PM could be prosecuted for causing a Client to breach CDM 2007 whether or not the Client is also prosecuted.
Here is an approach used by the HSE in a prosecution on 12/11/08.
Calderbrook Estates had appointed a Michael Stephenson as a roofing contractor. An employee of Stephenson fell four metres from the roof and broke both his heels. Stephenson was prosecuted for a breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 for having failed to arrange a safe system of work. Calderbrook was prosecuted for exactly the same offence, by virtue of Section 36 of HASWA, due to their default:
Specifically, Calderbrook failed to supervise and monitor the work which it had partly organised thereby contributing to the accident and the offence committed by Stephenson.
…..To avoid risk of prosecution under section 36 of HASWA, PMs should therefore ensure that the Client’s duties are complied with insofar as these matters are under the control of the PM.
…..The Client cannot delegate their legal CDM liabilities to the PM but should a Client breach a Regulation due to the failures of a PM, the PM could face prosecution for that breach, whether or not the Client is prosecuted.
The above is taken from an APS newsletter
For advice and assistance YOU should contact Veritas Health and Safety Consultants on 0121 249 1281 …the expert CDM Coordinators
What are Clients duties under CDM Regulations
On all non domestic construction projects, the Client is required to:-
• Check competence and resources of all appointees
• Ensure there are suitable management arrangements for the project including welfare facilities
• Allow sufficient time and resources for all stages
• Provide pre-construction information to designers and contractors
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CDM Competence and Resource – Can you prove it?
CDM2007 requires an assessment of the competence of organisations and individuals engaged or appointed under CDM2007. This specifically relates to those appointed as CDM co-ordinators; designers; principal contractors and contractors.
To be competent, an organisation or individual must have:-
(a) Sufficient knowledge of the specific tasks to be undertaken and the risks which the work will entail;
(b) Sufficient experience and ability to carry out their duties in relation to the project; to recognise their limitations and take appropriate action in order to prevent harm to those carrying out construction work, or those affected by the work.
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