Establish and Implement Safety Plans

A workplace safety plan is a document laying out important details and information on how to promote work health and safety on site and how to manage risks specifically for the project. Every construction project should have a workplace (or site) safety plan in place, as this will be your primary guide on various concerns on workplace health and safety. Therefore, you need to establish a workplace safety plan for your project.

Incorporating information from workplace inspection report

In establishing a workplace safety plan, the first thing to do is to review the results indicated in your project’s workplace inspection report. Since most of the criteria found in the inspection report are based on the WHS Regulation, this will certainly help you make the construction site of your project safe and aid in complying with legal safety obligations. The workplace inspection report also provides key information and recommendation that you should incorporate into your safety plan. Findings presented in the report will help you identify where your project should focus in terms of workplace health and safety.

Establishing workplace safety plan

Your workplace safety plan consolidates key information and processes to be followed to be able to maintain work health and safety, as well as respond appropriately to site hazards and their risks. The workplace safety plan should contain the following information:

To be able to establish an effective workplace safety plan, you consider the following:

Incorporate the workplace inspection report

As mentioned earlier, the inspection report provides the necessary information and insight on the current condition of the workplace in terms of work health and safety, making it quicker for you to identify what needs to be addressed on site.

Involve workers and other relevant people

Since your workers are the ones constantly on the actual site and are exposed to the hazards most of the time, involving them will assist you in getting first-hand knowledge on the health and safety conditions of the workplace through their experience. Also, you may ask other relevant persons (e.g. contractor, health and safety officer) involved in the project for their opinion on the health and safety of the project, as well as previous experience from past projects.

Review WHS legislation and building standards and codes

Again, the goal is to provide a safe and productive workplace for your construction project. Proof of achieving WHS obligations is by complying with WHS legislation, as well as building standards and code (e.g. Australian Standards and Codes of Practice). Thus, it is important to review and consider them when developing a workplace safety plan for your project.

Raise safety awareness

Your safety plan should not just be about procedures and controls to decrease health and safety-related incidents, both also help all those involved in the project to have safety awareness. Safety awareness involves constantly recognising the importance of safety as well as the habit of assuming hazards and their risks exist on site. In turn, this helps workers and other people on site to be more careful and perform work safely.

Encourage safe work practices

Safe work (or workplace) practices are work procedures that aid workers in maintaining a safe work environment for them and should be evident in your workplace safety plan, such as:

• Emergency procedures: These are procedures to be performed when people on site are faced with unexpected and often dangerous situation, such as fire or earthquake.
• First aid procedures: These are procedures carried out to give immediate medical assistance to someone whose life or health is at imminent risk. These are usually administered for treating minor illness and injuries or when waiting for emergency services to arrive.
• Evacuation procedures: These are guidelines on how to urgently, but safely, exit the construction site in the event of an emergency, including where people should gather outside the site.
• Waste management and environmental practices: These are procedures and protocols on proper handling of materials and waste to minimise risk of damaging the environment.
• Personal protective equipment: As discussed previously, PPEs provide protection for individual workers when regularly worn on site. Therefore, there should be protocols where PPEs are required on site, otherwise workers cannot perform construction work.

Here you can view a completed sample Workplace Safety Plan.

At the end of the module, at the Additional Resources, you can access a Workplace Safety Plan template.

Waste management is a core concern in this industry with many construction companies in pursuit of sustainable building. Unlawful disposal of construction waste and debris on open land leads to degradation of the environment which is against the regulations set for the protection of human health and the environment. Achieving responsible waste management involves abolishing waste as much as possible, reducing waste where it is feasible, applying a reliable design, recycling or reusing materials without necessarily turning them to waste.

Types of waste found in construction sites

Construction waste can be classified to three categories which are demolition debris from older buildings, waste left from new construction and debris from civil works that are in large scales from example, highway road construction. The types of waste commonly found on construction sites also include:

Building materials

Construction can involve remodeling, demolition and restoration of buildings which lead to the production of waste materials such as electric wiring, wood, nails, plaster, and packaging of building materials, scrap metals, cement, and damaged bricks among others. In most instances, these materials may be damaged, or whole hence can be recycled or reused as the building works going on.

Hazardous waste

During construction, demolition and remodeling may lead to the production of some dangerous waste that if left exposed, can be an environmental hazard. Such wastes require specific disposal methods as per the regulations set by a given state which in most cases are very strict. Some of the most encountered hazardous material includes asbestos, asphalt, mercury, lead, aerosol cans, paint thinners, paint solvents, plaster boards and fluorescent bulbs. Hazardous materials and substances may not only cause injuries but may lead to serious illnesses as well. For example:

• Wet concrete may cause skin irritation. In more severe causes, it may even cause third-degree chemical burns. 
• Chemicals found in spray foam insulation may irritate the respiratory system, skin, and eyes. Prolonged exposure may also lead to the development of asthma, fevers, and sore throat. 
• Depending on the type of solvent, exposure may lead to damage to a person’s nervous system, kidneys, or liver. They may also irritate the skin and can cause cancer in more severe cases.
• Exposure to lead may cause cancer, kidney problems, or nerve damage. If the lead levels in a person’s body becomes too high, it may lead to headaches, stomach problems, and fatigue.

Safe Work Australia published a series of Model Code of Practices on how to manage hazardous waste. For example, this Model Code of Practice provides guidance regarding how to safely remove asbestos.

Dredging waste

When a site is selected for construction, clearing out any objects or features that may impede creation is carried out. The materials removed are known as dredging materials that in the long run get displaced. These include trees, dirt, rubble, soil, old structures, rocks and tree stumps. In some cases, these materials can be recycled or reused depending on their state.

Best waste management tips for a construction industry that you can apply

Managing waste can be daunting and expensive but leaving it unattended or opting to break the state rules can bring further unexpected consequences. Some simple steps can be followed in a construction site to achieve effective elimination, minimisation and proper handling of waste materials on site.

Reduce construction materials

Much of the materials used for construction such as wood, plastic, metal, plastics among others can be reduced upon purchasing. Having a proper estimation plan before the construction starts will help determine the appropriate amount of products to get the job done. Getting just enough will allow optimal use of these materials, reduce costs that would be incurred for purchasing and in the long run, reduce production of waste.

Segregating waste

Separation and storing of waste is a crucial concern in waste management. Segregation can be applied through;

• Introducing a safe on-site waste storage area which is labelled appropriately wheelie bins and containers for separating waste produced.
• Engaging site workers in training on how to divide the leftovers, practising a safe culture.
• Use mini crushers and screeners for materials such as leftover blocks and bricks.
• Hire a team, part-time or full-time to carry out monitoring and management of waste.

Measure the waste produced

Having an idea of the amount of unwanted material produced on site allows you to manage your trash properly. This can also help determine what part of the construction is producing an excess percentage of waste which leads to taking measurements of the optimal use of materials where necessary.

Consider food waste and bottled water

Considering that plastics are one of the materials leading to environmental degradation, changing to use of tapped water on site can be useful. This allows workers to use glasses to drink water rather than continuous purchasing of bottled water. The leftovers produced from the employee break rooms after meals can also be segregated and placed for food recycling companies.

Maximizing the potential of the leftovers

This is where the recycling and reusing process comes in mind. Not all waste should be disposed. Some can prove to be useful in the construction process. For maximum use of waste, find out the types of products that can be reused or recycled or resold, for example, wood can be used for other purposes in the future hence can be recovered, scrap metals can be collected and sold to companies that manage such materials.

You can also reuse materials which will lead to cost reduction and reduction of waste. Instead of buying new products, you can reuse the leftovers giving them an original purpose and proving them useful on site.

Proper facility design

On-site, the contractor can contribute significantly to waste reduction and management through the choice of building technique, materials, building procedures and sequences to be used. The contractor can;

• Employ the use of one material for several functions rather than different materials to perform one task.
• Fewer materials can be used when there is an efficient use of area and volume.
• Using standard materials  and product dimensions to reduce cuttings which lead to concentration of scraps.
• Selecting materials that do not require adhesive as it leads to using of containers and packaging waste upon completion of construction.
• Choosing materials that are not prone to destruction, environmental exposure or destruction which may lead to potential misuse.

Management of building-related waste should be mandatory to practice sustainable development. Being in collaboration with professional groups such as waste collection companies, the government and businesses for coordination on waste management often gives the best results and besides a win-win opportunity. Coming up with a reliable waste management plan should make the construction work to be efficient.⁸

Rating the risks

Once hazards are identified, you need to identify and rate the risks. This is to determine the type of control measure to be used to mitigate or eliminate the risk. A risk can be determine based on two factors: its consequence and its likelihood. Both factors can be further classified into five different categories of increasing intensity:

Consequences

• Insignificant: Minor injuries, external reputation not affected, no environmental damage, no threat of litigation, etc.
• Minor: Minor casualties that require medical attention off-site, no long-term effects, external reputation minimally affected, minor environmental damage, single minor litigation, etc.
• Moderate: Several casualties that require hospitalisation with no long-term effects, some environmental damage, single moderate litigation, etc.
• Major: Serious casualties, external reputation severely damaged, would cause extensive environmental damage, single major litigation, etc.
• Severe: Legal consequences, multiple litigations, termination of the contract, loss of life, permanent disability, external reputation irrevocably damaged, catastrophic environmental damage, etc.

Likelihood

• Almost Certain: Is expected to occur in most circumstances
• Likely: Will probably occur in most circumstances
• Possible: Could occur at some time
• Unlikely: Not likely to occur in normal circumstances
• Rare: May occur only in exceptional circumstances

Based on these categories, the level of risk a hazard has can be determined by creating a risk matrix. A risk matrix plots these categories on a table or matrix to help pinpoint the level of risk based on the consequence and likelihood of a hazard. A sample risk matrix is shown below.

Take note that the categories may vary in the name but still represent the consequence or likelihood of a risk.

Risk register

A risk register is a document where the identified risks, their ratings and other relevant information are properly recorded. It contains a risk matrix for reference of risk rating, and then spaces where all information regarding a recorded risk, such as:

• Date identified
• Consequence (impact, severity) and likelihood (chance) of the risk when identified
• Risk rating
• The personnel/worker responsible
• The control measure implemented (mitigating action)
• Risk review process
• Consequence and likelihood of risk once risk control is implemented

A risk register provides an organised way of gathering and consolidating information for hazards and risks and is used as reference over the course of the construction project. Risk registers can also be done through project management programs, making it easier to store and retrieved since it can be sent online. For your reference, the next pages show a sample risk register document.

At the end of the module, at the Additional Resources, you can access a sample risk register.

All workplaces must have an emergency evacuation policy and emergency plan that has been specifically developed for the particular workplace and its specific hazards and covers a range of potential incidents. All persons at the construction workplace must receive information, training and instruction about implementing the emergency plan. Your site should have an emergency plan for evacuation or lock down which deals with:  

• fire
• bomb threats  
• gas and chemical leaks
• water
• motor accidents
• structural collapse.

A reliable and effective means of communication should be established between all work areas and persons involved to permit and ensure effective evacuation of danger areas. 
Rescue equipment and a communication system to contact any necessary emergency services, should be available and readily accessible at the workplace.

The emergency procedures in the emergency plan must clearly explain how to respond in various types of emergency, including how to evacuate people from the workplace in a controlled manner. Contact numbers for emergency services should be prominently displayed.

A register of all persons who are at the construction workplace on a particular day should be kept so that in the case of any emergency everyone can be accounted for.

Emergency policies and procedures must include:

• an effective response to an emergency
• evacuation procedures - an emergency evacuation plan including designated exits and safe assembly points clearly identified for staff to gather after evacuation
• a warning device for evacuation
• the nominated site personnel responsible for managing emergencies
• the correct way to behave in emergency situations
• contact information for emergency situations.
• notifying emergency service organisations at the earliest opportunity
• medical treatment and assistance
• effective communication between the person authorised by the person conducting the business or undertaking to coordinate the emergency response and all persons at the workplace.

It may also include:

• the personnel in charge of emergencies, including personnel to respond to and oversee the evacuation of injured persons  
• the warning system (e.g. the alarm signal for evacuation)
• the safe assembly point
• shutting down of work, including plant and electrical equipment
• information regarding hazardous chemicals located on site
• provision of fire fighting and rescue equipment at appropriate locations
• procedures for assisting injured people and people whose means of escape are limited
• procedures for managing the risk of combustible materials (such as paper, card, wood, dust, timber, plastic and polystyrene) and highly flammable liquids and gases [such as solvents, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and oxygen]
• procedures following an evacuation, for example, undertaking a headcount to determine if all persons that were at the construction workplace have been accounted for
• procedures regarding incident investigation, counselling and debrief.

The evacuation procedures and emergency evacuation plan should be displayed in an appropriate location(s) at the construction workplace. The emergency plan and evacuation procedures must be tested on a regular basis by conducting evacuation drills.

Emergency evacuation 

• The emergency is discovered.
• Notify workplace manager and emergency services.
• Activate evacuation procedures.
• Supervisors and employees take action.

It is important for all staff to be aware of individual roles and responsibilities in case of an emergency evacuation. In case of a fire, an adequately trained Fire Warden will be responsible for a successful evacuation, instructing staff of what needs to be done and contacting emergency services. During an emergency procedure, whether it is an evacuation or lock down, no one can enter the site, including vehicles.
At the end of the module, at the Additional Resources, you can access a sample emergency evacuation plan and a sample emergency evacuation policy.

Once you have determined the hazards, their risks and the appropriate control measures to be used (as discussed in previous sections of this guide), you should now move to implement these control measures on site to be able to eliminate or minimise the risks of harm on the construction site.
Often, controls are directly implemented on site to actively remove or reduce the chances of hazards inflicting harm. For example, removal of trips hazards (e.g. broken floor panels, presence of wires in passageways, cluttered floors) promptly eliminates the risks of tripping and falling. Nonetheless, to make control measures even more effective, implementation of control measures should be supplemented by procedures, training, supervision and maintenance.

Safe work practices and procedures

Practices and procedures on how to properly and safely carry out construction work should include the hazards of the work, the risks they pose and the instruction on how to perform the tasks in a way that it minimises, if not eliminate, the risks. If applicable, also include the use of control measures that complement work procedure (e.g. PPE, tools and equipment that will help reduce the chances of harm).

Training, instruction and information

When implementing control measures, you should give out necessary information to all your workers, as well as other people on site. If needed, training and instruction should be conducted to help determine of workers are knowledgeable and competent in performing work safely. The National Standard for Construction Work [NOHSC:1016 (2005)] (the National Standard) aims to protect persons from the hazards associated with construction work. It assigns responsibilities to individuals to identify these hazards and either eliminate them or, where this is not reasonably practicable, minimise the risks they pose. A PCBU (persons conducting a business or undertaking) must provide the information, training and instruction necessary to protect all people from risks to their health and safety arising from the work being carried out.

Workers and other people at the workplace, including visitors should be given workplace specific induction training before work starts or before they enter an operational construction zone. This will inform people about the hazards and risks they may face at the workplace, how the risks are controlled and what to do in an emergency. Visitors should be accompanied and supervised by fully inducted site personnel at all times while at the workplace. Where visitors to a construction workplace are likely to enter an operational construction zone unescorted they should be provided with a workplace induction on relevant hazards and risks at the workplace.

Any person who is to carry out construction work must complete general construction induction training to receive a general construction induction training card, commonly referred to as the ‘White Card’. This training provides people new to the construction industry with a basic knowledge of work health and safety requirements.

What information should be provided at a workplace induction?

Workplace specific inductions will vary depending on the type of construction work and the construction phase the project is going through at the time the person visits the workplace.

For example, at a less complex workplace like a single house site, a workplace-specific induction could include a short pre-start induction video or a short briefing. For a large and complex civic or commercial workplace a more detailed induction would be required, for example to explain the emergency response and evacuation processes as well.

It is recommended the following information be provided to workers and other people as required at a workplace induction: 

• Hazards and risks specific to the workplace e.g. overhead power lines near the workplace
• control measures for those risks e.g. no go zones for working near overhead electric lines
• site specific rules that must be complied with e.g. personal protective equipment (PPE) like hard hats that workers must wear and use
• safety documents, policies and plans specific to the workplace e.g. traffic management plans
• who to report incidents and hazards to and how to report them
• incident, emergency and evacuation procedures and associated equipment at the workplace, and
• the layout of the workplace including entries and exists, loading and unloading areas, location of facilities, first aid and security requirements.

Staff should also be updated when there are changes to the workplace that may affect health and safety. At the end of the module, at the Additional Resources, you can find an information sheet of workplace inductions for construction sites, published by SafeWork Australia. The document includes a workspace specific induction checklist, a visitor induction checklist and examples of how to record a tool box talk and a register of information and training provided to workers.

Supervision

Even if training, instruction and information are provided, you should complement the implementation of control measures with adequate supervision. The level of supervision you should give will depend on the level of risk present, as well as the experience of the workers involved. For example, for new or inexperienced workers a high level of supervision is necessary to ensure that new or difficult work procedures are carried out safely. Supervision also helps in monitoring if control measures implemented are still effective or not.

Maintenance

Control measures need to be regularly maintained in order for them to remain effective over time. There should be a regular schedule of inspection, cleaning and maintenance of these controls to ensure that they still eliminate or reduce the risks. Immediate repairs should be done as soon as faulty or broken parts are identified so that the controls will not be in place for only a short duration.

Safety educational programs

There are several types of inductions and trainings that can be conducted in the building and construction industry. The difference of the induction and training will depend on the audience who will receive them. Mainly, there are four types:

• Worker Site-Specific Induction Training
• Contractor Detailed WHS Induction
• WHS Induction for Visitors
• Health and Safety Representative (HSR) Training

Worker site-specific induction training

Worker site-specific induction training is a process of introducing all workers to the construction site. It is a way to familiarise them with the site's layout, its different facilities and its areas of interest. It also informs workers of the site-specific rules as well as safety requirements and process to meet during the construction work. Specific site procedures, management, reporting arrangements, and other related issues are also presented. Typically, site-specific induction training is done before construction work begins, but it can be conducted during the construction phase when needed.
Site-specific induction training may include:

• hazards and control measures relevant to the site
• location of underground services
• site specific safety documents, policies, and plans (e.g., traffic management plans, the WHS management plan)
• supervisory, consultation and reporting arrangements
• site safety rules
• workplace facilities including their location, use and maintenance
• first aid provisions and emergency procedures including after-hours emergency contacts
• health monitoring requirements and procedures
• access, egress, and security
• how safety issues are resolved.

Contractor detailed WHS Induction

Apart from worker site-specific induction training, you should also conduct a WHS induction catering to contractors, subcontractors and suppliers. As they handle only a portion of a construction project, contractor detailed WHS inductions may cover specific WHS processes and practices that apply only to them, along with general WHS training inclusions such as review of WHS legislation, site access and traffic and site-specific hazards and risks.

WHS induction for visitors

There should also be work health and safety inductions for visitors, such as workplace inspectors, government authorities and stakeholders, including the client. Since they are not engaged in construction work, a different set of induction training is in place for them. WHS induction for visitors focus more on site safety, site hazards and their risks, proper use of safety equipment and PPEs, and emergency procedures. Visitors should be accompanied and supervised by fully inducted site personnel at all times while at the workplace. Where visitors to a construction workplace are likely to enter an operational construction zone unescorted they should be provided with a workplace induction on relevant hazards and risks at the workplace. WHS Inductions for visitors should always be conducted every time a visitor will be on site, regardless the number of people visiting and the frequency of visit of the visitor (except if they are applicable to the first two inductions). This is to ensure that visitors are aware and well-informed of their WHS duties as well as the safety procedures on site.

Health and Safety Representative (HSR) Training

Health and safety representatives represent the workforce and workplace of a construction project concerning work health and safety. Under the WHS legislation, HSRs are required to take HSR training as proof of competency in work health and safety. They are to undertake an initial course of training of five days. Once this is completed, a day’s refresher course should be taken every year after the initial training. This is to ensure that HSRs are up-to-date on current work health and safety protocols.

Establishing the education programs

Establishing inductions and trainings (except HSR trainings, which are provided by a registered training organisation) into your construction project is important so that your workers, contractors and visitors are educated on the work health and safety protocols and requirements, as well as be able to carry out safe work practices. A safe and healthy workforce will surely provide productive and efficient results for your building project. Providing inductions and trainings ensure your compliance with legislation and standards in the construction industry as well as in work health and safety.

Here are points to consider in establishing trainings (and inductions) for construction sites:

Negotiation of safety issues

Negotiation means communication with the aim of reaching an agreement. Therefore, negotiating safety issue means to facilitate discussions with relevant parties in order to address and resolve safety issues.

Negotiations to help resolve safety issues may start small and informal, such as recognising a certain situation that can turn into a safety issue and giving others awareness on it. But for safety issues, especially in the construction industry, formal communication should be done to help organise information and insight needed to resolve safety issues.

It is important in negotiating safety issues to focus on addressing and resolving the issue, not identifying who is at fault for the issue. Although safety issues may be caused by human error or limitation, determining the culprit (the person at fault) of the issue will be of no help in resolving the issue and will be a waste of time and resource.

It is also vital to negotiate with the aim to create a common resolution to the safety issue, instead of bargaining or forcing parties to one resolution. You need to help the negotiation come up with a settlement, with all parties satisfied with the resolution to be implemented.

If possible, you should also use digital tools and devices to communicate and collaborate effectively with others. This also helps in jotting down important information and feedback from the other concerning parties of the negotiation.

Digital tools can include:

• emails
• video conferencing (for off-site meetings)
• instant messaging (for informal communication)
• cloud storage (for ease of access and availability of relevant files to the issue, negotiation and resolution)
• web browser, such as Explorer, Edge, Firefox or Chrome, for accessing information on the internet
• pdf-reader, such as Adobe Acrobat, for accessing and extracting information
• data analysis software, such as Salesforce, for integrating information, and
• spreadsheets, such as Excel, for compiling information.

Work health and safety issue resolutions

Your project should have a work health and safety issue resolution procedure so that you can address and resolve safety issues, conflicts and other concerns in an organised matter. All parties concerned should agree on the issue resolution process or make adjustments that will make all parties agree to the new resolution. The issue resolution should have the following:

• a step-by-step approach on what will happen once an issue has arisen
• identification of the roles of different staff for raising and resolving issues immediately or referring them to an employer representative for resolution – include the roles of all levels of management, safety and health representatives (where they exist) and employees
• details on how employees can refer an issue for resolution – include the ability to refer issues to safety and health representatives (where they exist)
• details on to whom particular hazards and issues can be referred
• a process for regular progress reports to be made to employees affected by a safety and health issue
• the process for getting more information and expertise, where it is required
• the steps to be taken if agreement cannot be reached – this should include access to someone with appropriate authority to make decisions

If the issue has been resolved, remember to properly document the issue and its agreed resolution. Make sure that all parties agree upon the details and results of the resolution record. Once verified, the report must be distributed to all parties who were involved in the issue or incident, including the health and safety committee of the project.

If the issue remains unresolved despite consulting and collaborating according to the issue resolution process, an external third party may be assigned to assist in addressing and resolving the issue. This can be a private inspector or local authorities.