This document discusses health and safety in construction environments. It defines hazards and risks, and identifies typical hazards like burns, breathing problems, and injuries from tools, equipment, and falling objects. It covers health and safety regulations that require risk assessments and method statements. Accident reporting procedures are also outlined, including reporting injuries, deaths, and near misses. Not following safety regulations can result in injuries, lost time, fines, prosecution, and other legal implications.

2. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
This learning outcome:
• shows the difference between hazards and risks
• looks at the main health and safety regulations
• describes a risk assessment and method statement
• tells us how to report accidents
• describes a ‘near miss’
• warns of the consequences of not meeting health
and safety requirements
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3. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.6 Typical hazards and risks (1)
Construction sites are dangerous places – full of hazards and risks
• What is a hazard?
• What is a risk?
Something that can cause an accident.
The chance of an accident happening.

4. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.6 Typical hazards and risks (2)
Construction sites are dangerous places – full of hazards and risks
• Typical construction site hazards and risks:
• resources -
• burns
• breathing problems
• equipment -
• eye injuries
• broken bones
chemicals and substances, such as paint and cement
tools and machinery

5. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.6 Typical hazards and risks (3)
Construction sites are dangerous places – full of hazards and risks
• Obstructions –
• tripping and falling
• Storage –
• spillages
• fire
• Services –
• electric shock
• explosions
• dirty water
objects left in the way
correct storage of materials

6. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.6 Typical hazards and risks (4)
Construction sites are dangerous places – full of hazards and risks
• Wastes –
• toxic substances
• vermin
• fire
• Work activities –
• dust, which can cause breathings problems
• debris, which can cause eye injuries
• falling from height
• objects falling from a height
rubbish from construction work
hazards caused by our normal work

7. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.3 Common causes of fatalities and injuries
Accidents can cause:
• Injury -
cuts | bruises | broken bones | sprains
• Death -
electric shock | falls | traffic and machinery accidents
How many of the hazards in the previous slides can be fatal?
damage to your body, such as:
someone who has been injured so badly they die

8. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.1 and 1.2 The regulations (1)
• Statutory health and safety regulations are meant to prevent dangerous working
practices
• ‘Statutory’ means that a set of regulations are –
mandatory legal documents and we must do what they say

9. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.1 and 1.2 The regulations (2)
The main health and safety regulations are:
• The Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, 1999
• Construction and Design Management Regulations, 2015

10. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.1 and 1.2 The regulations (3)
The Health and Safety at Work Act
• An ‘enabling act’ – like an umbrella that protects everyone in the
workplace, including visitors
• What it says:
• employers must make the workplace safe
• employees must:
• wear PPE
• follow regulations and company policies
• report any health and safety problems

11. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.2 The regulations (4)
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
Employers must:
• assess the risks to
• their employees
• anyone else other people affected by their work
• appoint people to help them keep the workplace safe and healthy
• train employees to be able to work safely

12. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in the Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.2 The regulations (5)
The Construction and Design Management (CDM) Regulations
• The customer must choose a main designer and main contractor
• Main designer and contractor must have :
• expertise
• resources
• The safety of everyone on that job must be planned before the
work starts
• control the risks
• provide information about the risks
• The Health and safety executive (HSE)
must be told about all large construction
projects

13. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in the Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.2 The regulations (2)
Other health and safety regulations include:
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Regulations
• Working at Height Regulations
• Confined Spaces Regulations
• Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations
• Manual Handling Operations Regulations
• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH)

14. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.1 The risk assessment (1)
• Risk is
• Before carrying out work, think about the job, look the work area,
and ask:
• What are the hazards?
• What are the risks?
• Who will they affect?
• How serious are they?
• What can be done to reduce the risk?
• Answer these questions in a risk assessment
the chance of being injured by a hazard

15. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.1 The risk assessment (2)
Each job carries hazard
• list the jobs needed to complete a project
• list the hazards
• example of a hazardous job: using a ladder as a platform to fit a
light
What are the risks?
• ladder falling
• falling from ladder
• dropping tools and materials onto people below
Who will they affect?
• you and anyone working below
How serious are they?
• falls can result in serious injury or even death
• being hit by falling object can also be fatal

16. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.1 The risk assessment (3)
What can be done to reduce the risk (control measures)?
Using our ladder example…
Is there another way to carry out the job?
• Use a scaffold tower, scissor lift or mobile elevating work platform
(MEWP)
What safety equipment could be used?
• Guard rails on scaffolding
• Place barriers around the foot of ladder or scaffolding tower
• If you can only use a ladder to work at height, tie-off ladder at the top
What PPE should be worn?
• Hard hat
• Climbing belt
Anything else?
• Train staff to use access equipment correctly

17. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.1 Method statements
The method statement is another way of assessing and reducing risk and
describing how a job will be carried out
A method statement is a set of instructions for the job
A method statement will include:
• a description of the work
• precautions to make sure the work is carried out safely
• address and contact details
A method statement may include:
• a plan for completing difficult works

18. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.7–1.9 Reporting accidents (1)
Sometimes, despite all our precautions, an accident will happen
The Reporting of Incidents, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences
Regulations, 2013 (RIDDOR) tells us what to do following an accident:
• all organisations must have an Accident Book
• accidents must be reported
• accidents must be reported by
• This can be:
• The manager or supervisor
• The person who is in control of the work place
• A self-employed person
• accident reports must be sent to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
the person responsible for the work.

19. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.7–1.9 Reporting accidents (1)
Sometimes, despite all our precautions, an accident will happen
The Reporting of Incidents, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences
Regulations (RIDDOR) tells us what to do following an accident:
• Accident reports must state:
• the date when the report is made
• how the accident was reported
• the date, time and place of the incident
• personal details of those involved

20. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.7–1.9 Reporting accidents (2)
What is a ‘near miss’?
A near miss is an accident that could have caused injury but, fortunately,
did not.
An example of a near miss:
A scaffold collapses while the construction workers are on their lunch
break, which meant that no one was using the scaffold at the time.
If someone had been on the scaffold, they could have been seriously
injured or even killed.
A near miss must be reported in the same way as an accident.

21. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.4 And if we don’t take action to prevent accidents?
• Injury
• disability
• loss of wages
• Lost time
• someone has to be trained to do the injured person’s work
• reduced wages
• Damaged reputation
• company may lose work if customers think they are unsafe
• company may have difficulty recruiting new employees
• Low morale
• workers might feel that they are in danger
• workers stop being loyal to the company

22. BTEC Level 1 Award
Health and Safety in a Construction Environment
LEARNING OUTCOME 1: IDENTIFYING HAZARDS AND RISKS
1.4 And if we don’t take action to prevent accidents?
Legal implications:
• Improvement notice
• for a specific breach of health and safety regulations
• served by the HSE Inspector
• allows organisation 21 days to put right any hazards
• Prohibition notice
• HSE believe a certain work activity or work area is dangerous
• all operations in that area will be shut down until improvements are made
• Prosecution
• fine
• imprisonment
• police always investigate a fatal accident