01 General H&S Questions

Question 1

What different health and safety legislation are you aware of?

Answer 1

1. Construction (Design and Management) Regulations
2. The Six Pack Regulations (see below)
3. Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR)
4. Work at Height Regulations
5. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH)
6. Control of Noise at Work Regulations
7. Control of Vibration at Work Regulations
8. Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)
9. Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations

Question 2

What is meant by the ‘six pack’ regulations and what do they include?

Answer 2

Introduced in 1993 to give employers more detailed guidance in how to meet the requirements of HASAWA and were also a reaction to an EC Directive designed to protect workers across Europe:

1. Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
2. Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
3. Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
4. Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992
5. Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
6. Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 1992

Question 3

What is the aim of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999?

Answer 3

1. Undertake suitable and sufficient written risk assessments (where there are 5 or more employees)
2. Apply the principles of prevention

Question 4

What are the principles of prevention under the MHASAW Regulations 1999?

Answer 4

MHASAW Regulations 1999, Schedule 1:

1. Avoid risks (i.e. do something differently)
2. Evaluate the risks that cannot be avoided (i.e. undertake a Risk Assessment)
3. Combat risks at source (e.g. remove dust rather than just provide PPE)
4. Adapt work to the individual (i.e. design of workplace, choice of equipment)
5. Adapt to technical progress (i.e. utilise technological advances to improve working methods)
6. Replace the dangerous with the non-dangerous or less dangerous
7. Develop a coherent overall prevention policy
8. Give collective protective measures priority over individual protective measures (e.g. using exhaust ventilation to remove dust from the whole area rather than providing a filtering respirator to an individual)
9. Give appropriate instruction to employees (i.e. company policy, safety procedures, good practice, official guidance etc.)

Question 5

What is RIDDOR and what is its purpose?

Answer 5

Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995:

1. Create a legal requirement for a responsible person (employees, the self-employed and individuals in control of work premises) to notify the HSE and keep records of specified workplace incidents
2. Information gathered is used to assist in identifying where and how risks arose and to prevent reoccurrence

Question 6

What are the reportable incidents under RIDDOR?

Answer 6

1. Fatalities
2. Major Injuries (e.g. fractures - but not to fingers, thumbs or toes, amputations, injury likely to lead to permanent loss/reduction of sight
3. Dangerous Occurrences (e.g. certain near-miss events
4. Over 7-Day Injuries
5. Specified Diseases (e.g. hand-arm vibration syndrome, occupational asthma, occupational cancer)

Question 7

What are the main areas covered under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations?

Answer 7

1. Health - requirements associated with common features of a workplace (e.g. ventilation, temperature, lighting, space)
2. Safety - identification of potential workplace hazards (e.g. traffic routes, falling objects, windows and doors)
3. Welfare - minimum standards of workplace hygiene (e.g. sanitary facilities, drinking water, changing facilities, facilities to rest and eat meals)

Question 8

The construction industry experiences a number of deaths at work each year. Are directors or partners in the business employing the deceased personally liable?

Answer 8

Section 37 of HASAWA - where an offence is committed by a corporate body with consent or neglect of a director or other senior officer, both the corporate body and person are liable to prosecution

Question 9

What sort of notices does your employer have in its offices in respect of health and safety?

Answer 9

1. Health and safety policy - statement of intent
2. Health and safety law poster
3. Employers’ liability insurance certificate
4. Fire evacuation arrangements
5. First aid arrangements

Question 10

What insurance is an employer required to carry in respect of health and safety?

Answer 10

1. Employers’ Liability Insurance - in place to meet the cost of compensation for employee injuries or illnesses caused as a result of the work they do
2. Public Liability Insurance - in place to meet the cost of compensation for injury, damage or loss caused to a member of the public

Question 11

What is the role of the HSE?

Answer 11

1. Aim to prevent work-related death, injury and ill health
2. Help businesses understand how the laws to keep people safe at work affect them
3. Carry out research on a range of key topics
4. Authoritative source of statistics upon which workplace health and safety policy is founded

Question 12

How can the HSE influence the health and safety performance of an organisation?

Answer 12

1. Provision of information - guidance notes, leaflets, ACoPs, statistics etc.
2. H&S campaigns - e.g. reducing noise
3. Undertake H&S inspections with follow up visits to ensure compliance
4. Carry out accident investigations and investigations following complaints
5. Give advice and assistance to employers on how they can comply with their statutory requirements
6. Take enforcement action such as issuing enforcement notices, instigating criminal proceedings etc.

Question 13

What steps has the construction industry taken in the last ten years to improve its record on health and safety?

Answer 13

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Question 14

Has the construction industry’s record on health and safety improved over the last ten years?

Answer 14

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Question 15

What did the Egan report say about health and safety in construction?

Answer 15

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Question 16

Who is responsible for your health at work?

Answer 16

Responsibility for personal health and safety principally lies with oneself, however employers also owe a duty of care to their employees to ensure their health, safety and welfare as far as reasonably practicable (HASAWA)

Question 17

What is your procedure for lone working?

Answer 17

1. Carry out a risk assessment to assess whether lone working a safe option
2. Allow for provisions of communications in the event of an emergency
3. Ensure someone knows you are lone working and when you are due back to the office/home
4. Assess how access/egress would be achieved in the event of an emergency

Question 18

As a building surveyor, how can you influence health and safety in the construction process?

Answer 18

1. Compile H&S File if acting as Principal Designer
2. Identify all residual risks in design work
3. Ensure other CDM duties are being adhered to by all parties
4. Set a good example when visiting site (wear appropriate PPE, abide by site rules etc.)
5. Look out for hazards when attending site and stop any unsafe working practices

Question 19

What is a risk assessment?

Answer 19

A risk assessment is the process of identifying hazards, analysing the risks associated with that hazard and determining appropriate ways to eliminate or control the hazard

Question 20

Does a risk assessment have to be in writing?

Answer 20

MHASAW Regs require risk assessments to be in writing when there are 5 or more employees

Question 21

Explain the steps you go through when conducting a risk assessment.

Answer 21

1. Look for the hazards (examine work practices and incident data)
2. Decide who might be harmed and how (also consider those particularly at risk, e.g. young persons, new/expectant mothers, people with disabilities, lone workers etc.)
3. Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions
4. Record and implement findings
5. Review and revise (upon introduction of any new procedures or adaptations to current procedures that could lead to new hazards)

Question 22

What information should you include in a Designer’s Risk Assessment?

Answer 22

1. Description of hazard/risk
2. Who might be harmed and how?
3. Date noted
4. Risk level (severity/likelihood)
5. Mitigation actions
6. Action by who?
7. Action by when?
8. Date completed
9. Residual risk
10. Residual risk rating

Question 23

What is the difference between a hazard and a risk?

Answer 23

1. Hazard - the potential for a substance, activity or process to cause harm
2. Risk - the likelihood of a substance, activity or process to cause harm

Question 24

How should risks be recorded and evaluated?

Answer 24

1. In a risk assessment table, which is regularly updated detailing who and when certain actions need to be completed by
2. Risks can also be plotted onto a risk assessment matrix, whereby a score is given to each risk depending on the likelihood of the occurrence and the severity of the outcome

Question 25

How would you identify hazards during a risk assessment?

Answer 25

1. Legislation and supporting ACoPs (basic minimum requirements etc.)
2. HSE guidance
3. Process information
4. Product information (provided under s.6 HASAWA)
5. British and International Standards
6. Industry or Trade Association guidance
7. Personal knowledge
8. Experience of managers and employees
9. Accident, ill health and incident data from within the organisation, from other organisations or from central sources
10. Expert advice and opinion
11. Relevant research

Question 26

What is the difference between risk assessments and method statements?

Answer 26

1. A method statement is a document detailing the way a work task is to be completed (aka ‘safe system of work’)
2. Used as a means of controlling specific H&S risks that have been identified, potentially from a risk assessment, e.g. lifting operations, working at height etc.

Question 27

What sources of information are available for developing safe systems of work?

Answer 27

1. British Standards
2. Regulations, guidance notes and ACoPs (approved codes of practice)
3. Manufacturer’s information (e.g. safety data sheets)
4. Insurance company information

Question 28

Give an example of a risk assessment that you have carried out under the CDM Regulations?

Answer 28

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Question 29

Your client has instructed you to arrange and undertake a health and safety risk assessment of his commercial premises. What should be inspected during the survey?

Answer 29

1. What are the hazards?
2. Who might be harmed and how?
3. What are you doing already?
4. What further action is necessary?
5. Action by who?
6. Action by when?
7. When completed?

Question 30

What H&S documents would you expect to see during a project?

Answer 30

1. Asbestos management / R&D survey
2. Pre-Construction Information Pack (PCIP)
3. H&S File
4. Risk assessments
5. Contractor RAMS
6. Contractor H&S Policy

Question 31

How do you interact with health and safety issues in the design stage of a project?

Answer 31

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Question 32

How do you interact with health and safety during the construction stage of a project?

Answer 32

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Question 33

Emergency maintenance is required to a boiler but there is no management survey available - what would be your next steps?

Answer 33

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Question 34

Your client is about to undertake his first construction project. Explain to him what he needs to do in terms of health and safety?

Answer 34

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Question 35

If you were reviewing a contractor’s H&S policy when pre-qualifying them to go on to a tender list, what sort of things would you be looking for?

Answer 35

1. Statement of intent (i.e. their overall philosophy to H&S)
2. Acknowledgement of duties
3. Organisational structure (i.e. chain of command and each person’s responsibilities)
4. Arrangements for H&S:

• Site inductions
• Management and use of PPE
• Provision of welfare
• Risk assessment procedures
• Training provisions
• Emergency procedures (first aid, fire, working at height, confined spaces etc.)
• Accident reporting
• Waste disposal procedures

Question 36

What should be provided as welfare facilities on construction sites?

Answer 36

Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992:

1. Provide shelter from wind and rain
2. Place to rest/take breaks
3. Adequate toilet and washing facilities (number, male/female, hot and cold water, soap and toilet paper, drying, large enough basins for washing hands and forearms, showers, locks)
4. Place for preparing and consuming refreshments
5. Place for storing and drying clothing/PPE
6. Kept clean and tidy
7. Well maintained and in good working order
8. Well lit and ventilated
9. Reasonable temperature
10. Cater for the needs of disabled people