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What is Construction H&S Auditing?

Construction H&S auditing is a process aimed at evaluating and improving the health and safety practices and procedures within construction sites. The primary objective is to ensure compliance with relevant regulations, standards, and best practices to prevent accidents, injuries, and illnesses among workers.

A Principal Contractor fulfilling their duties

Construction Auditing can be carried out on all duty holders, or single duty holders under Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015. For Instance, we would make sure a client was carrying out their obligations under CDM 2015 if we conducted an H&S Audit on them, while they were serving as the project’s principal contractor.

What are the CDM requirements of a Construction H&S Audit?

Planning, managing, monitoring, and coordinating the entire construction phase.

Liaising with the client and principal designer for the duration of the project, to ensure that all risks are effectively managed.

Establishing measures for managing health and safety throughout the construction phase.

Consulting and engaging with workers about their health, safety, and welfare.

Checking that anyone appointed has the skills, knowledge, experience, and, where relevant, the organisational capability to carry out their work safely and without risk to personal health or the health of others.

Implementing measures that prevent unauthorised personnel from accessing the site.

Taking account of the health and safety risks to everyone affected by the work (including members of the public), in planning and managing the measures needed to control them.

Preparing a written construction phase plan before the construction phase begins, implementing, and then regularly reviewing and revising it to make sure it remains fit for purpose.

Ensuring suitable welfare facilities are provided from the start and maintained throughout the construction phase.

Ensuring all workers have site-specific inductions, as well as any further information and training required.

Liaising with the principal designer to share any information relevant to the planning, management, monitoring, and coordination of the pre-construction phase.

What is the main objective of a Principal Contractor?

In addition to the above, we would also ensure that all relevant documentation is in place and available on-site within a site H&S folder for all contractors involved in the project. The primary objective of the principal contractor is to ensure that all personnel involved with the project, in any way, are safe and are going to go back to their families every evening!

In summary, construction phase audits are a great way for duty holders, to guarantee they are fulfilling their duties under regulations, as well as identifying areas that could be improved upon.

Recently, the construction team within OJ Safety has noticed a rise in these types of audits, particularly when the client has an internal H&S manager. This is because it provides the client with an outside perspective from a proactive H&S professional, who specialises in the construction industry. If you wish to enquire further about construction H&S Auditing, then don’t hesitate to get in contact with us at admin@ojsafety.co.uk or call us at 0800 6349 247.

Alternatively, if you would like to take a look at some of our other blog posts, click here.

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