| You're probably asking yourself, what is a | | | | construction tasks are being undertaken. This is |
| construction health and safety plan? In one | | | | simply called 'identifying hazards' and is the first |
| sentence, it refers to a plan which is prepared | | | | step in risk assessment management. |
| before work begins which has the objectives of | | | | 3. Next, assess the risks that you have identified. |
| preventing accidents or disasters from occurring. | | | | You can determine the level of danger that a |
| In a construction health and safety plan, hazards | | | | potential hazard can pose by looking at how |
| are identified, assessed, controlled, and possibly | | | | seriously one could be affected and chances of |
| eliminated in a process that is referred to as risk | | | | that occurring. After rating each potential hazard, |
| assessment management. This plan is integral for | | | | you would know which hazards should be priority |
| principal contractors to manage their workplace | | | | in preparing measures of control for. |
| health and safety obligations, which is why they | | | | 4. Basing on the priority listing for potential |
| are required to prepare such plans before they | | | | hazards you have prepared, you must enact |
| even begin on construction. | | | | measures of control that eliminate or at the very |
| So how does a principal contractor go about in | | | | least, minimize the risks. You may control the |
| preparing this Construction Health and Safety | | | | hazards by eliminating the hazard, substituting the |
| Plan? Below are listed the steps on how this highly | | | | hazard with a lesser one, engineering out the |
| significant plan is prepared. | | | | hazard, use administrative controls, or use |
| 1. First, one must know what exactly the | | | | personal protective equipment. These are also |
| Construction Health and Safety Plan needs to | | | | listed according to highest preference to the least |
| have stated in it. Here are the important details: | | | | preferred, with 'eliminating the hazard' as the |
| - Construction site address | | | | most preferred measure of hazard control. |
| - The full name and address of the contractor in | | | | 5. Always look out for hazards. Constantly try to |
| charge | | | | identify new potential hazards and set new control |
| - Business number of the principal contractor | | | | measures for these newly identified hazards. It is |
| - Planned start date | | | | to be expected finding new hazards that were |
| - Estimated duration of construction work | | | | not earlier identified during the course of the |
| - The type of construction that is going to be | | | | construction period. |
| done | | | | 6. Review your construction health and safety |
| - Construction site rules and regulations | | | | plan and check that all the required details listed in |
| - The risks the principal contractor is expected to | | | | number 1 are found in it. Make sure that the plan |
| manage | | | | is written in a way that makes it easily |
| - Proposed measures to control the risks stated | | | | understandable. |
| - How the measures of control will be | | | | Know that the principal contractor cannot start |
| implemented | | | | work with construction unless the construction |
| - Methods to monitor review the measures of | | | | health and safety plan has been discussed or a |
| control | | | | copy has been given to all the relevant people |
| - Strategies for public safety | | | | participating in the construction job. Also, it is the |
| - Emergency procedures | | | | principal contractor's duty to update or inform all |
| 2. Once all these details are kept in mind, the | | | | relevant personnel every time an amendment has |
| principal contractor should go around the | | | | been made on the construction health and safety |
| construction site to look out for what may be | | | | plan. |
| potential hazards present when certain | | | | |