What is a Construction site induction?
Construction sites are busy and dangerous places. Many different trades and many different people are all coordinated to be working in the same location at varying times. For a subcontractor or visitor attending a construction site, they can be subject to hundreds of potential hazards from varying sources during their working period. One aspect to ensuring that this risk is reduced on a site is with a good induction. An induction essentially is information and instruction provided in the form of a safety briefing to those who are going to attend the site.
Why should I carry out a Construction Site induction?
Getting site workers the right safety details about their works is extremely important for a number of reasons. Firstly you have a duty to ensure that the people working on your behalf are safe. If your site presents hazards that can cause injury or worse, then you hold some responsibility and liability. This is not just something which will cost you money in civil claims but also potential in HSE related fines.
Not only does an induction help from a safety standpoint, a good site induction can also lead improvements in quality of work on site. Knowing that standards are set and communicated to all affected parties drives improvements in quality within the site.
Are construction site inductions a legal requirement?
Yes, site inductions are a legal requirement. Not only are construction companies bound by duties under the Health & safety at Work act 1974
"(to provide) information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of his employees;"
Also under CDM regulations 2015 where principal contractors must
"ensure that a suitable site induction is provided".
The consequences of not adhering to your legal requirements under CDM 2015 can very substantial. In fact the largest fine handed out under CDM 2015 was £800,000 and on top of that the longest custodial sentence handed down resulted in an 8 month prison sentence.
So getting your construction site induction procedure wrong can have very impactful consequences on your company and it's growth plans.
What should be included in an Construction site induction
Site inductions will vary based on a number of different things, for instance the nature of the work, the size of the site, whether high risk activities are to be involved etc. However, most construction site inductions will tend to incorporate similar topics such as:-
Project management:
Good site management starts with people, it starts with a good team of people with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. This is only a start though, as as good as a site management team are, their value is decreased if stakeholders on the project are unaware of their existence. A good site induction will highlight key people that contractors and staff need to be aware of. As an example, who the project manager is, or perhaps who is the trained first aider on site.
Site layout:
A site in progress can be relatively small, or it can be quite a large complex area. Contractors and staff always benefit from having a grounding in what the site layout is. Their work may be located in various locations and across other working parties, as such knowing the details of other parties, safety equipment and welfare facilities helps to reduce incidents on site.
Project information:
Effective communication between duty holders is a requirement of CDM 2015 regulations. Providing all staff, contractors and visitors with project information will help to know what works are planned to be undertaken and what is going on around them.
Site specific hazards:
Site workers may be used to all the hazards associated with their works, they may have 20 years experience and training to demonstrate them as an expert in working at height. However, if hazards are present on site that are created outside of their control, injuries are possible. Letting everyone know about site specific access hazards, excavations hazards, utility related hazards etc, mitigates risk to a lower level during work.
Site rules
Rules are designed to protect people, they are created to ensure that the majority are not detrimental impacted by unacceptable actions. Construction site rules are thoroughly drafted to remove elements which will cause incidents, injuries or defects if unchecked. To ensure that site rules are adhered to, you must ensure that people are aware of them in the first place through induction.
Should I induct visitors on my construction site?
Again, yes you should. Their induction will be different from a worker on site, however, the dangers they face will be the same. What are the pedestrian routes that have been created on site, what should they do in the event of a fire, where are the welfare and first aid stations located.
So what are my next steps?
Well, doing research like this about construction site inductions is a good start. The next step is to start to draft your own construction site inductions. You may want to use a template induction checklist, we have an induction checklist available for free below, you may want to hire an independent advisor to help you draft your inductions, or alternatively you could look into out construction site manage software - Easy induction.
Why should I Use Easy Induction?
Our Easy Induction service allows you to create, manage and assign your construction site inductions to meet your legal and commercial obligations. Create your general site induction structure and make site specific as required. Then on your next site, use your existing induction as a template and make your next site specific alterations with the click of a button.
Easy Induction allows you to assign your construction site induction course to contractors and staff before the arrival. Give instruction and information on all the important matters before arrival, and where required revisit where necessary. Save time by getting construction hours back onto the construction site whilst still mitigating risk.
Unscheduled visitors and contractors can scan a QR code upon arrival to site and complete the online induction there and then. If your designated site safety manager is not present, the work can still continue with your peace of mind that an induction has been completed.
Easy Induction can even be used by you to create company based inductions for your own new starters. Staff turnover in the construction is high, and helps with staff retention by providing new staff members with company inductions on their job, the company's values, your history and other topics.
Call us on 01246 541954 to arrange a free trial of Easy Induction (including onboarding one of your own induction courses).