Have the Right Signs up for Public Safety and to Comply With the Rules
If you have construction work taking place, make sure you have the right signage to stay safe and legal.
A construction site is statistically one of the most hazardous places to work. While the risks are understood for construction workers who are on and around building sites day in day out, the hazards are exponentially higher when there is construction taking place in an environment where others are trying to go about their routine business.
If you have the builders in, whether it is for some minor repairs or a major construction project, safety has to be at the top of your agenda. Ensure that you have the appropriate workplace construction signs in place and that other health and safety precautions are implemented.
Anything less means you are putting employees and visitors in danger, as well as risking significant penalties for breaching health and safety legislation. Here, we take a look at how you can stay safe and legal while building work is taking place at your business.
Signage
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) states that safety signs and signals must be put in place when, despite the implementation of all other applicable measures, there exists a significant risk to the health and safety of your employees or other individuals (for example customers, visitors or suppliers).
The signs have to be clear and legible, and fall into the following four categories:
- Prohibited actions – for example “no entry”
- Safeguards to be followed – for example “eye protection must be worn”
- Hazard warnings – for example “corrosive material”
- Directions – towards emergency exits, first aid equipment, etc.
The regulations state that you should avoid excessive use of unnecessary signage, which can cause confusion to the public.
As for the signs themselves, the HSE regulations cite BS EN ISO 7010, the international standard for safety signage. This follows an EU Directive aimed at harmonising the signs in use across member states to improve transparency and clarity across Europe.
Assess the risk
So what signs do you need during construction? Unsurprisingly, this depends on the work that is taking place. It is important to sit down with contractors, designers and other stakeholders before any work commences and carry out a formal and documented risk assessment.
This will cover a number of areas, including the following:
- What areas will be affected?
- Will people (staff, customers, etc) need to be in or close to the working area?
- What are the risks to visitors and staff?
- What instructions need to be given to staff?
- What signage will be required?
- Will the usual emergency / fire safety procedures be affected?
These are just a few of the questions that you will need to address, and others will come up during the course of the risk assessment.
You might also need to notify the HSE of the proposed works under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations of 2015 if certain criteria are met. If in doubt, check with your local HSE office to ensure you are in compliance before the work begins.