Introduction to Learn More for Construction

Management and Duty Holders

In this section you will find information on;

1. Clients in Construction

2. The Project Supervisor Design Process (PSDP)

3. The Project Supervisor Construction Stage (PSCS)

4. Duties of Contractors

1. The Client in Construction

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013 defines 'client' as a person for whom a project is carried out. The regulations place certain duties on Clients. These duties are intended to ensure that the project is designed and constructed by competent persons.

 Client Duties

• Employ competent designers and contractors to carry out the work
• Appointment in writing, before design work starts, of a competent and adequately resourced project supervisor for the design process (PSDP), as required.
• Appointment in writing, before construction work starts, of a competent and adequately resourced project supervisor for the construction process (PSCS), as required.
• Co-operate with the project supervisor and supply necessary information;
• Keep and make available the safety file (provided by the PSDP) for the completed structure.  The safety file contains information on the completed structure that will be required for future maintenance or renovation .
• Provide a copy of the safety and health plan prepared by the PSDP to every person tendering for the project.  In the case of projects on a domestic dwelling it is sufficient for the Client to provide the plan to the PSCS when they have been appointed.
• Notify the Authority where construction is likely to take more than 500 persons days or 30 working days.

Publications

Guide for Homeowners

The introduction of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013 places responsibilities on homeowners, called Clients in the Regulations, who are having construction work carried out on their home.The aim of this guide is to provide practical information for homeowners as to what they need to know and do.

2. The Project Supervisor Design Process (PSDP)

The project supervisor design process must be an individual or body corporate i.e. a limited company.  In general, this will be a firm of architects, chartered surveyors, consulting engineers or project managers.  It can also be the main contractor (e.g. in cases of design and build contracts or small projects with minimal design input).  In all cases the person or company undertaking the role must have the necessary competence to carry out the relevant duties.  The project supervisor design process must be appointed before design work commences.  This is to ensure effectiveness in addressing and co-ordinating safety and health matters from the very early stages of a project.

What are the duties of the Project Supervisor for the Design Process (PSDP)?

The duty of the project supervisor for the design process is to ensure co-ordination of the work of designers throughout the project. 

The PSDP must:

• Identify hazards arising from the design or from the technical, organisational, planning or time related aspects of the project;
• Where possible, eliminate the hazards or reduce the risks;
• Communicate necessary control measure, design assumptions or remaining risks to the PSCS so they can be dealt with in the safety and health plan;
• Ensure that the work of designers is coordinated to ensure safety;
• Organise co-operation between designers;
• Prepare a written safety and health plan for any project where construction will take more than 500 person days or 30 working days or there is a particular risk and deliver it to the client prior to tender;
• Prepare a safety file for the completed structure and give it to the client;
• Notify the Authority and the client of non-compliance with any written directions issued.

The PSDP may issue directions to designers or contractors or others.

In relation to the appointment of PSDP - can you have more than 1 PSDP assigned to a project or should there only be one?

A PSDP is appointed by the Client to oversee the coordination of the design work. The PSDP can be either a person or a company, what is important is that the appointed PSDP is able to fulfil the responsibilities of the position.
The Regulations require that there be only 1 PSDP appointed for each independent project.

Further Information

Guidance on the role and duties of the Project Surpervisor for the Design Process are included in this document.

3. Project Supervisor Construction Stage (PSCS)

The role of the project supervisor construction stage is to manage and co-ordinate health and safety matters during the construction stage.  The project supervisor construction stage is appointed before the construction work begins and remains in that position until all construction work on the project is completed.

Project Supervisor Construction Stage Duties

• Co-ordinate the implementation of the construction regulations by contractors;
• Organise co-operation between contractors and the provision of information;
• Co-ordinate the reporting of accidents to the Authority;
• Notify the Authority before construction commences where construction is likely to take more than 500 person days or 30 working days;
• Provide information to the site safety representative;
• Co-ordinate the checking of safe working procedures;
• Co-ordinate measures to restrict entry on to the site;
• Co-ordinate the provision and maintenance of welfare facilities;
• Co-ordinate arrangements to ensure that craft, general construction workers, and security workers have a Safety Awareness card, e.g. Safe Pass and a Construction Skills card where required;
• Co-ordinate the appointment of a site safety representative where there are more than 20 persons on site;
• Appoint a safety adviser where there are more than 100 on site;
• Provide all necessary safety file information to the PSDP;
• Monitor the compliance of contractors and others and take corrective action where necessary;
• Notify the Authority and the client of non-compliance with any written directions issued;
• The PSCS may issue directions to designers or contractors.

PSCS Guidance

Guide for Project Supervisors and Contractors carrying out Construction Work (PDF 2.1MB)

 Definition of Construction Work (PDF 673KB)

4. Duties of Contractors

What is the definition of Contractor?

In general a 'Contractor' means any employer whose employees carry out construction work and includes both main contractor and sub-contractor.  A contractor may also include a self-employed person. In addition, a body such as a local authority may also be a contractor, if the construction work is carried out directly by employees of that body.

What are the duties of Contractors?

The contractor has significant duties relating to a wide range of issues.

A contractor must:

• have an up to date safety statement with appropriate risk assessments carried out for the work that is being carried out
• co-operate with the PSCS – provide any site specific information, including relevant extracts from Safety Statement
• promptly provide the PSCS with information required for the safety file
• comply with directions of the project supervisors
• report accidents to the Authority and to the PSCS where an employee cannot perform their normal work for more than 3 days
• comply with site rules and the safety and health plan and ensure that your employees comply
• identify hazards, eliminate the hazards or reduce risks during construction
• facilitate the site safety representative
• ensure that relevant workers have a safety awareness card and a construction skills card where required
• provide workers with site specific induction
• appoint a safety officer where there are more than 20 on site or 30 employed
• consult workers with site specific induction
• monitor compliance and take corrective action

Safety Alerts

2020 - Safety Alerts Construction Work on Farms and Use of Concrete Slats Vehicle Scissor Lifts Lifts installed by Ellickson Engineering Ltd*

2018 - Safety Alerts  Wood Pellets: Toxic Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

2017 - Safety Alerts  Tail Lift Failure  Hot work on small drums, barrels, tanks and containers  Passenger Lifts marked with number CE490 installed by ELLICKSON ENGINEERING LTD  Voluntary safety footwear recall by Shoes for Crews  Safety Alert A-Belco Group - ATEX Lighting Products  Safety Alert: Garden Buddy PM35 Lawn Mower

2016 - Safety Alerts  Use of a Chain Flail  Working on Fragile Roofs  Scaffolding Components  Explosion Risk Split Rim Wheels

2015 - Safety Alerts  Genie MEWP Z135/70: Z13505-101 to Z135-1863; and Genie Zx-135/70: Z13513-2002, Z13513-2008, ZX13513-2001 to ZX13515-2563  Hook Loader   Working Platforms Near or Over Water  Hazards of Electrical Powered Gates  Small Tipper Trucks  Confined Spaces  Large Tyre Inflation Alert

2014 - Safety Alerts  Storage of Gas Cylinders for use in Non-Domestic Installations (Non-Bulk)  Lorry Mounted Crane  Electric Cable Reel  Nail Penetration and Safety Shoes  Scaffolding  Genie MEWP  Petzel 'Zig Zag' Recall  Use of Generators During Power Outages ​​​​​​​ Passenger Lift

 Health & Safety Authority Safety Alerts Webpage 

Construction Related Videos

The Role of a Client in a Construction Project

The Role of the Project Supervisor for the Design Process (PSDP)

The Role of the Project Supervisor for the Construction Stage (PSCS)

The Construction Stage Safety and Health Plan

The General Duties of Contractors in Construction

Publications

Statutory Forms

Templates, Registers and Forms 

Note: Downloading in Rich Text Format (RTF) means you can edit the document

Construction Stage Safety and Health Plan

How to create a Construction Stage Safety and Health Plan using BeSMART.ie

When appointed by the client as the Project Supervisor Construction Stage (PSCS) you must develop a suitable construction stage safety and health plan for the project, prior to the commencement of construction work. The plan provides the blueprint for managing and co-ordinating safety and health during construction and needs to explain how the key safety and health issues will be managed. It must be relevant to the particular project and should be developed in conjunction with the Safety and Health Plan prepared on a preliminary basis by the Project Supervisor Design Process (PSDP).

1. Select the business type ‘Project Supervisor Construction Stage (PSCS)’ in BeSMART.ie
2. Work through the particular risk assessments (non-exhaustive), mandatory site requirements and site welfare checklists
3. Download your Construction Stage Safety and Health Plan Template.
4. You must then review and update the template and make it site specific to the requirements of the job

You must then develop your construction stage safety and health plan by adding all relevant information about your project and following the information and guidance contained in the document. Finally keep the construction stage safety and health plan updated and ensure the relevant information is available to anybody associated with the project that may need it. You must keep a master copy of your construction stage safety and health plan that you have developed on a local or secure storage area as BeSMART.ie does not have the capability of editing or saving updated files.

Management Screen - Project Supervisor Construction Stage (PSCS)

When you get to the management screen you will be now given the following three options;

1. Construction Stage Plan - The template plan can be downloaded in RTF (Rich Text Format) and can be saved as a Word or Pages document for development and editing.
2. Manage Your Action List – Assign dates and people to close out controls that need to be put in place.
3. Browse Hazards – Here you have access to all hazards on BeSMART.ie. Select any additional hazards that you have in your workplace and risk assess them. You can then print and include them in your construction stage plan.

• Construction Stage Safety and Health Plan - Contents and Introduction 

Accident and Dangerous Occurrence Reporting 

Training

Codes of Practice

Construction Safe System of Work Plans (SSWP)

The primary objective of the SSWP is to identify the major hazards associated with your work activities and to ensure that appropriate controls are in place before work commences. The Safe System of Work Plan (SSWP) complements the Safety Statement required under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.

SSWP Building and Monument Maintenance Form

SSWP Road Works Form

SSWP Civil Engineering Form

SSWP Demolition Form

SSWP House Building Form

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​SSWP Commercial Buildings Form

Work Related Vehicles

Positively supporting employee engagement and wellbeing

Work Positive^_CI is a FREE State and stakeholder supported psychosocial risk management process that helps organisations identify ways to improve employee wellbeing.

Asbestos Awareness Course

This course is designed for tradespeople who, during the course of their work, could potentially or unknowingly disturb asbestos containing materials (ACMs) causing asbestos fibres to be released into the air. Completion of this course does not in any way enable you to work with asbestos containing materials (ACMs)

Course duration: 30 minutes

Learning outcomes:

On successful completion of this course you should be able to:

• understand what asbestos is
• outline the health effects of exposure to asbestos
• recognise potential asbestos containing materials (ACMs) in the workplace
• outline the steps to take to protect yourself from exposure to asbestos

CPD points: Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points are available from Construction Industry Registry Ireland (CIRI) for this course. One hour of learning will contribute to one CIRI CPD point. Any construction company wishing to avail of the CIRI CPD points must record them as learning outcomes on their own training matrix which then needs to be presented annually to CIRI at the point of renewal.

Safety and Health in Construction

This introductory course aims to help learners to develop an overview of safety and health in construction. It is relevant for those at third level in construction-related disciplines as well as those undertaking apprenticeships in any construction-related areas.

Course Duration: 120 minutes.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this course you should be able to:

• Recognise the importance of managing safety and health in construction and key legislation.
• Report workplace accidents.
• Understand training, first aid and welfare provisions.
• Identify types of hazards and ways to prevent accidents.
• Understand how to plan a safe working environment in construction by implementing safety procedures for electrical equipment, overhead electricity lines, demolition and many more important aspects of safety.