Health & Safety Regulations
The primary Act covering site safety is The Health & Safety At Work Act 1974 (HASAW) which lays down wide ranging duties of care on all employers, to protect the ‘health, safety and welfare’ at work of all their employees, as well as any other persons on site (legally or illegally) including other contractors, sub-contractors, self-employed workers, customers and visitors and the wider general public. Essentially, a landscape contractor working on a site has full responsibility for anyone who enters the site or curtilage who may be affected by the works.
The Act is designed to place full responsibility on the one person deemed to be the Professional on Site.
These responsibilities include ensuring that all workers under their control are suitably qualified for their duties, and not charged with carrying out any project they are incapable of managing safely. Any person thought to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs should be removed from site with immediate effect, unless the safety of others is compromised.
This legislation is encapsulated within the landscape industry by the requirements of The Construction (Design Management) Regulations 2015, (see above at C) and if the format is followed dutifully, there should be no issues of Health & Safety on a project.
Note too, the Act requires Welfare to be taken into consideration. This will include the provision of toilets, access to washing facilities, First Aid (including a fully kitted eye washing station) Kits appropriate to the number of staff on site.
Photo credit – Sue McLaughlin/Arun Landscapes.
