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This checklist identifies some of the hazards mostcommonly found on construction sites. The questions itasks are intended to help you decide whether your siteis a safe and healthy place to work. It is not anexhaustive list. More detailed information can be foundin HSG150 Health and safety in constructionand otherHSE publications.

Safe places of work

q Can everyone reach their place of work safely,eg are roads, gangways, passageways, passenger

hoists, staircases, ladders and scaffolds ingood condition?

q Are there guard rails or equivalent protection tostop falls from open edges on scaffolds, mobileelevating work platforms, buildings, gangways,excavations, etc?

q Are holes and openings securely guard railed,provided with an equivalent standard of edgeprotection or provided with fixed, clearly markedcovers to prevent falls?

q Are structures stable, adequately braced and not

overloaded?

q Are all working areas and walkways level and freefrom obstructions such as stored material andwaste?

q Is the site tidy, and are materials stored safely?

q Are there proper arrangements for collecting anddisposing of waste materials?

q Is the work adequately lit? Is sufficient additionallighting provided when work is carried on after darkor inside buildings?

Scaffolds

q Are scaffolds erected, altered and dismantled bycompetent persons?

q Is there safe access to the scaffold platform?

q Are all uprights provided with base plates (and,where necessary, timber sole plates) or preventedin some other way from slipping or sinking?

q Are all the uprights, ledgers, braces and struts inposition?

q Is the scaffold secured to the building or structurein enough places to prevent collapse?

q Are there adequate guard rails and toe boards oran equivalent standard of protection at every edgefrom which a person could fall 2 m or more?

q Where guard rails and toe boards or similar areused:

are the toe boards at least 150 mm in height?

is the upper guard rail positioned at a heightof at least 910 mm above the work area?

are additional precautions, eg intermediateguard rails or brick guards in place to ensure

that there is no unprotected gap of more than470 mm between the toe board and upperguard rail?

q Are the working platforms fully boarded and are theboards arranged to avoid tipping or tripping?

q Are there effective barriers or warning notices inplace to stop people using an incomplete scaffold,eg where working platforms are not fully boarded?

q Has the scaffold been designed and constructed tocope with the materials stored on it and are thesedistributed evenly?

q Does a competent person inspect the scaffoldregularly, eg at least once a week; always after ithas been substantially altered, damaged andfollowing extreme weather?

q Are the results of inspections recorded?

Powered access equipment

q Has the equipment been erected by a competentperson?

q Is fixed equipment, eg mast climbers, rigidlyconnected to the structure against which it isoperating?

q Does the working platform have adequate guardrails and toe boards or other barriers to preventpeople and materials falling off?

q Have precautions been taken to prevent peoplebeing struck by the moving platform, projectionsfrom the building or falling materials, eg barrier orfence around the base?

q Are the operators trained and competent?

q Is the power supply isolated and the equipmentsecured at the end of the working day?

Construction health and safetychecklist

HSE information sheet

Construction Sheet No 17 (revised)

HSEHealth & Safety

Executive

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Ladders

q Are ladders the right means of access for the job?

q Are all ladders in good condition?

q Are they secured to prevent them slipping sidewaysor outwards?

q Do ladders rise a sufficient height above theirlanding place? If not, are there other hand-holdsavailable?

q Are the ladders positioned so that users dont haveto over-stretch or climb over obstacles to work?

q Does the ladder rest against a solid surface andnot on fragile or insecure materials?

Roof work

q

Are there enough barriers and is there other edgeprotection to stop people or materials falling fromroofs?

q Do the roof battens provide safe hand and footholds? If not, are crawling ladders or boardsprovided and used?

q During industrial roofing, are precautions taken tostop people falling from the leading edge of theroof or from fragile or partially fixed sheets whichcould give way?

q Are suitable barriers, guard rails or covers, etc

provided where people pass or work near fragilematerial such as asbestos cement sheets and rooflights?

q Are crawling boards provided where work on fragilematerials cannot be avoided?

q Are people excluded from the area below the roofwork? If this is not possible, have additionalprecautions been taken to stop debris falling ontothem?

Excavations

q Is an adequate supply of timber, trench sheets,props or other supporting material made availablebefore excavation work begins?

q Is this material strong enough to support the sides?

q Is a safe method used for putting in the support, ieone that does not rely on people working within anunsupported trench?

q If the sides of the excavation are sloped back orbattered, is the angle of batter sufficient to preventcollapse?

q Is there safe access to the excavation, eg by asufficiently long, secured ladder?

q Are there guard rails or other equivalent protectionto stop people falling in?

q Are properly secured stop blocks provided toprevent tipping vehicles falling in?

q Does the excavation affect the stability of

neighbouring structures?q Are materials, spoil or plant stored away from the

edge of the excavation in order to reduce thelikelihood of a collapse of the side?

q Is the excavation inspected by a competent personat the start of every shift; and after any accidentalcollapse or event likely to have affected itsstability?

Manual handling

q Has the risk of manual handling injuries been

assessed?

q Are hoists, telehandlers, wheel-barrows and otherplant or equipment used so that manual lifting andhandling of heavy objects is kept to a minimum?

q Are materials such as cement ordered in 25 kgbags?

q Can the handling of heavy blocks be avoided?

Hoists

q Is the hoist protected by a substantial enclosure to

prevent someone from being struck by any movingpart of the hoist or falling down the hoistway?

q Are gates provided at all landings, including groundlevel?

q Are the gates kept shut except when the platform isat the landing?

q Are the controls arranged so that the hoist can beoperated from one position only?

q Is the hoist operator trained and competent?

q Is the hoists safe working load clearly marked?

q If the hoist is for materials only, is there a warningnotice on the platform or cage to stop people ridingon it?

q Is the hoist inspected weekly, and thoroughlyexamined every six months by a competent person?

q Are the results of inspection recorded?

Cranes and lifting appliances

q Is the crane on a firm level base?

q Are the safe working loads and corresponding radiiknown and considered before any lifting begins?

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q If the crane has a capacity of more than 1 tonne,does it have an automatic safe load indicator that ismaintained and inspected weekly?

q Are all operators trained and competent?

q Has the banksman/slinger been trained to give

signals and to attach loads correctly?q Do the operator and banksman find out the weight

and centre of gravity of the load before trying tolift it?

q Are cranes inspected weekly, and thoroughlyexamined every 14 months by a competentperson?

q Are the results of inspections and examinationsrecorded?

q Does the crane have a current test certificate?

Plant and machinery

q Is the right plant and machinery being used forthe job?

q Are all dangerous parts guarded, eg exposedgears, chain drives, projecting engine shafts?

q Are guards secured and in good repair?

q Is the machinery maintained in good repair and areall safety devices operating correctly?

q Are all operators trained and competent?

Traffic and vehicles

q Have separate pedestrian, vehicle access pointsand routes around the site been provided? If not,are vehicles and pedestrians kept separatewherever possible?

q Have one-way systems or turning points beenprovided to minimise the need for reversing?

q Where vehicles have to reverse, are they controlledby properly trained banksmen?

q Are vehicles maintained; do the steering,handbrake and footbrake work properly?

q Have drivers received proper training?

q Are vehicles securely loaded?

q Are passengers prevented from riding indangerous positions?

Fire and emergencies

General

q Have emergency procedures been developed, egevacuating the site in case of fire or rescue from aconfined space?

q Are people on site aware of the procedures?

q Is there a means of raising the alarm and does itwork?

q Are there adequate escape routes and are thesekept clear?

Fire

q Is the quantity of flammable material on site kept toa minimum?

q Are there proper storage areas for flammableliquids and gases, eg LPG and acetylene?

q Are containers and cylinders returned to thesestores at the end of the shift?

q If liquids are transferred from their originalcontainers are the new containers suitable for

flammable materials?q Is smoking banned in areas where gases or

flammable liquids are stored and used? Are otherignition sources also prohibited?

q Are gas cylinders and associated equipment ingood condition?

q When gas cylinders are not in use, are the valvesfully closed?

q Are cylinders stored outside?

q Are adequate bins or skips provided for storing

waste?q Is flammable and combustible waste removed

regularly?

q Are the right number and type of fire extinguishersavailable and accessible?

Hazardous substances

q Have all harmful materials, eg asbestos, lead,solvents, paints etc been identified?

q Have the risks to everyone who might be exposed

to these substances been assessed?

q Have precautions been identified and put in place,eg is protective equipment provided and used; areworkers and others who are not protected keptaway from exposure?

Noise

q Are breakers and other plant or machinery fittedwith silencers?

q Are barriers erected to reduce the spread of noise?

q Is work sequenced to minimise the number ofpeople exposed to noise?

q Are others not involved in the work kept away?

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q Is suitable hearing protection provided and worn innoisy areas?

Welfare

q Have suitable and sufficient numbers of toilets

been provided and are they kept clean?q Are there clean wash basins, warm water, soap

and towels?

q Is suitable clothing provided for those who have towork in wet, dirty or otherwise adverse conditions?

q Are there facilities for changing, drying and storingclothes?

q Is drinking water provided?

q Is there a site hut or other accommodation whereworkers can sit, make tea and prepare food?

q Is there adequate first aid provision?

q Are welfare facilities easily and safely accessible toall who need to use them?

Protective clothing

q Has adequate personal protective equipment, eghard hats, safety boots, gloves, goggles, and dustmasks been provided?

q Is the equipment in good condition and worn by allwho need it?

Electricity

q Is the supply voltage for tools and equipment thelowest necessary for the job (could batteryoperated tools and reduced voltage systems, eg110 V, or even lower in wet conditions, be used)?

q Where mains voltage has to be used, are tripdevices, eg residual current devices (RCDs)provided for all equipment?

q Are RCDs protected from damage, dust anddampness and checked daily by users?

q Are cables and leads protected from damage bysheathing, protective enclosures or by positioningaway from causes of damage?

q Are all connections to the system properly madeand are suitable plugs used?

q Is there an appropriate system of user checks,formal visual examinations by site managers andcombined inspection and test by competentpersons for all tools and equipment?

q Are scaffolders, roofers, etc, or cranes or other

plant, working near or under overhead lines? Has

the electricity supply been turned off, or have otherprecautions, such as goal posts or taped markersbeen provided to prevent them contacting the lines?

q Have underground electricity cables been located(with a cable locator and cable plans), marked, andprecautions for safe digging been taken?

Protecting the public

q Are the public fenced off or otherwise protectedfrom the work?

q When work has stopped for the day:

are the gates secured?

is the perimeter fencing secure andundamaged?

are all ladders removed or their rungs

boarded so that they cannot be used? are excavations and openings securely

covered or fenced off?

is all plant immobilised to preventunauthorised use?

are bricks and materials safely stacked?

are flammable or dangerous substanceslocked away in secure storage places?

Reference

HSG150: Health and safety in constructionHSE Books1996 ISBN 0 7176 1143 4

HSE priced and free publications are available by mailorder from:

HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2WATel: 01787 881165; Fax: 01787 313995. HSE pricedpublications are available from good booksellers.

For other enquiries ring HSEs InfoLine, tel: 0541545500, or write to HSEs Information Centre,Broad Lane, Sheffield S3 7HQ.

HSE home page on the World Wide Web:http://www.open.gov.uk/hse/hsehome.htm

11/99 CIS 17 (rev) C120Printed and published by the Health and Safety Executive

This leaflet contains notes on good practice whichare not compulsory but which you may find helpfulin considering what you need to do.

This publication may be freely reproduced, except for

advertising, endorsement or commercial purposes. The

information is current at 11/96. Please acknowledge the source

as HSE.