Posted By Chris Abbott
Hi all - bit of a problem with roof work at my new site. I needs some help on Constructions matters.

I've just started my second week and found that the company has organised a roof to be repaired on a building opposite the main work building. This "repair job" is on a unoccupied storage facility and has been going on for about a month.

The roofers were engaged by a management company, and we engaged them. They seem to me to be competent, but the actions of their sub-contractors are not.

My questions are as follow:

1. On entering the car-park (accessible by any member of the public) I found that the scaffold still had all the ladders attached - the men had finished for the day. - Should these not have been removed? I found it was really handy, because I could get up onto the roof to have a look around - like perhaps say some children ?

2. 8 canisters of Butane (about 4 foot high bottles) lying around on the roof and the floor area/ Should these not be locked away somewhere? HFL Regs maybe?

3. The chute that is attached to the scaffold, and pointing into the skip was quite loose - and the isolation compound around the skip was not complete - there were no signs indicating "work in progress" - not any mandatory PPE signs.

4. No evidence of harness on roof, and scaffold around the top is incomplete - and not even near the area they are working in.

5. Should a scaffold have some form of tag systems? To show it has been tested, inspected, dates constructed? I'm sure they should have - this one does not.

Any advice help etc - I've told my management team that I feel that the Sub Contractor Company have breached regulations (certainly the Butane must be a breach!) - They are 100% behind me, so they are going back to the management company to talk to them.

Forgive me, but this is my first look at any construction work, and aside from the obvious, I am not that familiar with the CDM Regs... Yet...! Any help you can give me, so that I can advise my management would be very much apprecietated.

Thanks
Chris

Posted By Chris Abbott
Thanks!
Chris

Posted By Ken Taylor
The HSE have taken enforcement action where scaffolds have been left readily accessible to children. If they cannot reasonably remove the ladders up to the first lift they should secure them so that they cannot be used (eg plank over with chains and padlocks). If persons are working within 2m of a fall risk of 2m or more they will need safety measures to prevent this and you might expect to see edge protection in the working area, anchorages for fall-arrest or restraint equipment or, very occasionally, safety nets. The skip area will need either fencing or other means to keep unauthorised persons away from the hazard of falling material from the chute. This may sometimes be an operative standing by (if safe to do so) - depending upon the risk assessment. Under CDM you could have required sight of risk assessments and safe working methods for various aspects of the job as part of the principal contractor selection process and under the Construction Phase Health and Safety Plan - by requiring this through the Pre-Tender H&S Plan or by contract. Presumably the contract for the actual work was issued by the management company. I would suggest that, in future, you spell out the company's (your) requirements to companies of this nature including consultation and approval of the proposed working methods and Pre-Tender H&S Plan. Whilst the roof site has, presumably, been given to the control of the Principal Contractor, the area below that may be affected by the work will be within your company's control (or , possibly, shared). This means that your Company (and you) have an involvement and associated H&S duty in this respect which needs to be exercised through consultation, intervention, etc as well as any role you may have in monitoring the performance of contractors (even if only that of the management company).