Health and Safety in Construction Industry: Practices, Legislation, and Impact

This report discusses the importance of health and safety in the construction industry, with a focus on Kier Group's safety measures, government rules and regulations, collaboration and communication, and the benefits and weaknesses of health and safety legislation. It covers the impact of legislation, its evolution, and its advantages and weaknesses. Course code and college/university not mentioned.

Construction Practice &
Management

Table of Contents
Construction Practice & Management.............................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY ..................................................................................................................................3
Health and safety has now become an integrated part of the construction process.....................3
Government rules and legislation to set Health and safety within construction industry............4
The role of collaboration and communication in ensuring safe working practices.....................5
Benefit through changes in health safety legislation...................................................................6
The impact of health and safety legislation, its evolution, and its advantages or weaknesses
within construction.......................................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Health and safety is an essential part of every job and it is fundamental right of every
employee. In construction sector there are more need to maintain healthy and safe environment
for workers. Construction workers are suffering through different diseases and injuries in
comparison of other sectors. In order to elaborate this report, construction company is chosen as
Kier Group plc, a UK based construction company which is having experience of more than 90
years. Along with health and safety concern for construction workers this report will cover
government policies and rules for healthy and safety, collaboration and communication for safe
working practices, benefits through safety guidelines, advantages and weaknesses of the healthy
and safety legislation in construction industry.
MAIN BODY
Health and safety has now become an integrated part of the construction process
In every sector and industry have bear some risk, but it consists of profit, revenue and
customer base, but in the construction industry this risk is of life. Construction sector bears
higher risk and accidental chance in comparison of others industries, but this risk should be
avoided through proper healthy and safety measures (Khan and et.al., 2019).
Healthy and safety measures performing essential role in decreases amount of risk on
under construction area, and minimizes chances of accidents. These measures and steps improve
working on the construction sites as well, there are following some points which performing
health and safety linked in construction process:-
 Better training and guidance:- In this evolving world, construction industry is getting
wider on daily basis. Companies are going to organize guidance and training sessions
before starting of any site. Through which they are making them knowledgable about
healthy and safety measures which are important on working sites. Trained employees to
use of machineries and equipments, some times untrained worker cause destructions
(Boadu and et.al, 2022). Kier group also looking for safety concerns of their workers,
they just analysis risk before starting any project and go through their 5 fundamental
steps that are
 Induction
 Risk assesment

 Safe system of work
 Point of work risk assessment
 Competence Precautions and measures to use:- There are many safety equipments that are available
on the working site, so company motivates their to use them. Using live jackets with
proper rope, using mask which protect from dust and dirt, using proper machineries
which not having loose electric connections etc. Keir is also running different programs
to motivate its worker to use available safety and health measures which leads to better
environment for working (Akinlolu and et.al, 2020).
 Better supervision:- There are large number of worker are working on particular
construction sites and every employee not used to follow safety measures properly. So
better supervisors, leaders and engineers are appointed by company, they daily visit on
the working site and supervise about all safety practices and measures are following by
workers or not. They are also tested drivers and workers which are using high load
machineries and equipments. Kier group focuses on to their SHE programme, it stands
Safety and Healthy environment for its workers who are part of the working sites, their
appointed employees visit on daily basis and supervise workers on the site (Costa, Matias
and Pimentel, 2021).
Government rules and legislation to set Health and safety within construction industry
Parliament of UK passed such act to manage healthy and safety of employees in each
industry including construction industry as well. Healthy and Safety Work act 1974 which is
known as Primary legislation, passed in 1974 to ensure safety, health and welfare of the
employees at workplace. This legislation applies to all industries with construction sector.
In this industry higher amount of risk involved, it also covers huge number of total workforce,
these laws and regulations protect them from their exploitation.
There are several acts and regulation for healthy & safety in construction industry:-
 The Health and Safety Work Act 1974:- This act includes all other regulations, that are
being specific made for construction industry. Under this act, all risk related to business
are covered, it is usually known as HASWA. This act bounds for each sector including
construction sector to make safe and healthy environment.

 Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015:- This act is set for health
and safety regulations in construction industry, it covers every size of construction
projects. The main aim of this act is to maintain all requirements of safety that are,
security, emergency procedures and lighting. Its abbreviation is CDM. It is used by
designer to make arrangements in pre-construction process, for health and safety of
workers.
 LOLER 1998:- It stands for The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipments Regulations.
It allows use of cranes, lorries and other lifting machine can be use by trained and known
worker for safety of many workers. It can be properly supervised and checked with
standard units.
 Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012:- Asbestos is not safe for workers, it is one of the
hazardous material used in construction, asbestos materials use is banned due to safety
measure. This act can regulate and removal use of asbestos from UK. Time of demolition
it causes heavy pollution in environment.
 Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005:- This regulation is use for control of
drills, saws, sanders, compactors, pump, machinery. Vibration of all these machineries
leads to ill-health and disease impacts over human body. This act allows using vibration
equipments in limits, which is safe for working.
The role of collaboration and communication in ensuring safe working practices
In safe work place, collaboration and communication plays an essential role, through
better communication it makes easy to understand those practices in working environment.
Collaboration of employees spread awareness about safety measures and steps amongst each
other, this can lead safe workplace and healthy environment.
There are several roles of collaboration and communication for making safety environment are:- Regular meetings:- Kier group motivates employees and its workers to attend regular
meetings and meet-up sessions, which make aware about health and safety to on site
workers. It also boosts workers in many aspects and make their communication amongst
workers improves. Feedback in those sessions leads to decreases chances of accidents,
safety protocols and measures are being discus under those sessions. It remains old way
but it is one of the strongest way to build collaboration under workers for making better
safety workplace. (Oraee, and et.al, 2019).

 Goal setting:- Goal setting can not be limited at only maximizing profits and revenues,
organization can also set goal for better workplace and safe environment to work. Kier as
the leading group in construction industry, so it follows this objective session with
communicate and collaborate with its employees. As due to leading group Kier, properly
research and then set goals their management know very well that through reduces
accidents and casualties they can increase their productivity. Fewer accidents and proper
safety measures make good image of the company and protect their workforce (Alreshidi,
Mourshed and Rezgui, 2018).
 Safety management works easier:- It gets easier for the safety management to work
through communication and collaboration of employees. Interpersonal relationships are
improves and their bonds with each other increaes as well. Management can easily
circulate their practices and policies which are working for health and safety of workers.
Kier group focuses on to structural management programme, on meetings and meet-up
senior members of management are available to deal with issues and get to solve those
issues, make new plans to not met that particular issue again (Abu and et.al, 2021).
Benefit through changes in health safety legislation
In construction industry, changes in law, rules and regulation makes healthy and safety
working place. Use of more qualitative raw materials, higher productivity and less number of
injuries, deaths and accidents are takes place. There are several legislations that are being change
for safety measure, so they are beneficial for atmosphere and climate as well.
Benefits for the construction industry through changes of legislation are mention below:- Productivity get rises:- In construction industry there are several reasons which affect
health to workers and ill-health workers are not able to give their best output. Changes in
many acts that are focuses on to health of workforce, so it leads to increase their output
results which is beneficial for overall results. Kier group also analyze that thing, safe and
healthy workplace boost moral of workers, and it rises productivity. Acts and regulation
which focuses on safety and health, are giving more chances for the company to earn
more profits and revenue (Gao, Gonzalez and Yiu, 2019). Qualitative structures are build:- These rules and regulations that are changed for safety
concerns, make avoidance of lower grade raw materials in use. As there are acts and

regulation are being made for declining use of hazardous material, that means it affects
on to quality of structures as well. Standardize materials, machinery and equipments
comes in use, supports to build qualitative structures. Kier group holds image in the
market, so they are consistently focuses on qualitative product, but banned and removal
of such hazardous things enhances their quality, quality is an identity of any leading
group. Removal risk:- In the construction industry, there are higher amounts of risk involved,
higher number of workforce is also involved into it. Acts and regulation that are being
made for safety and health measure, their very first function is to remove risk and provide
workforce a better working place. Kier group from starting of the project through use of
these acts planned properly and manages risk which is involved under project. They
manage right practices with appropriate labour force, which supports effective and
efficient output for the company. Safety and health measure easily decreases risk under
projects.
The impact of health and safety legislation, its evolution, and its advantages or weaknesses
within construction
Impact of legislation
Legislations are related to health and safety it directly impacts on working environment,
it enhances productivity, quality and efficiency of overall sector. There is regulation
Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015, it works on to management of risk
from starting to finish of any project either it is big or small domestic project. Kier get impact of
CDM to make its safety measures more attentive and aggressive through which they just make
safe workplace, their safety practices towards their employees get increased after CDM. It
supports company to choose appropriate workforce according to appropriate project. CDM
covers all functions of construction industry such as demolition, refurbishment, extensions,
repairs and maintenance (Mzyece, Ndekugri, and Ankrah, 2019).
Evolution with time
Construction (Design and management) Regulation was first introduced in 1994, there
are not many things that are not available on that period, not that much safety equipments are not

going to make available on to working site. First version of CDM, less focused on the client in
comparison to project team, and introduced the health and safety basic plans.
In 2007, after 12 years next version of this act have been introduced, now it covers
welfare requirements that are essential for workforce at workplace. In this version co-ordinator
were able to inform client about arrangements that are essential to make healthy and safe
environment on the working site.
After 8 years, the latest version has been introduced in 2015. In CDM 2015, the main
designer can manages, plan and monitors pre-construction period and coordinates matters
connecting with health and safety. Makes project less risky and create it safe.
Advantages and weaknesses of the CDM regulation 2015
CDM makes ensures to the management about pre-construction phase risk, management
can get easily proper safety and health measure. It evolutes risk from start to finish of the project,
CDM allows to principal designer about all arrangements of safety measure to avoid higher risk.
Weakness of the regulation is that, it manages all arrangements in pre-construction phase,
so it bears cost in maintain safety equipments, even some of them are not being use in any
emergency, but due to some legal concept it is essential to make it available. Due to following
this regulation there are many concepts like use of hazardous material is being avoided which is
the biggest safety issue (Hossain and et.al, 2020).
CONCLUSION
In this report it has been concluded that Health and safety is an essential key of
construction industry, through making proper planning and strategies it enhances productivity
and quality of structures. This report concludes health and safety practices that are being takes by
Kier group, they run proper training and guidance programmes to make safe and healthy
environment. Company makes team which supervise safety precautions and measures which are
essential for safe environment. Along with safety measures legislations and rules that are being
made for prevent workers from hazardous materials, such acts as are CDM, Healthy and safe act
etc. Advantages and weaknesses of CDM also compiles in this report.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Abu Aisheh and et.al, 2021. Health and safety improvement in construction projects: A lean
construction approach. International journal of occupational safety and ergonomics.
pp.1-13.
Akinlolu, M. and et.al, 2020. A bibliometric review of the status and emerging research trends in
construction safety management technologies. International Journal of Construction
Management. pp.1-13.

Alreshidi, E., Mourshed, M. and Rezgui, Y., 2018. Requirements for cloud-based BIM
governance solutions to facilitate team collaboration in construction projects.
Requirements engineering. 23(1). pp.1-31.
Boadu, E.F. and et.al, 2022. Client-led promotion of health and safety through the procurement
process on public construction projects in developing countries. Safety science.
147.p.105605.
Costa, O., Matias, J. and Pimentel, C., 2021. Occupational health and safety in construction
projects: a case study on chemical industry sector. International Journal of
Occupational and Environmental Safety. 5(2). pp.14-21.
Gao, Y., Gonzalez, V.A. and Yiu, T.W., 2019. The effectiveness of traditional tools and
computer-aided technologies for health and safety training in the construction sector: A
systematic review. Computers & Education.138. pp.101-115.
Hossain, M.U. and et.al.,, 2020. Circular economy and the construction industry: Existing trends,
challenges and prospective framework for sustainable construction. Renewable and
Sustainable Energy Reviews.130. p.109948.
Khan, M.W. and et.al., 2019. Occupational health and safety in construction industry in Pakistan
using modified-SIRA method. Safety science. 118. pp.109-118.
Mzyece, D., Ndekugri, I.E. and Ankrah, N.A., 2019. Building information modelling (BIM) and
the CDM regulations interoperability framework. Engineering, Construction and
Architectural Management. 26(11). pp.2682-2704.
Oraee, M. and et.al, 2019. Collaboration barriers in BIM-based construction networks: A
conceptual model. International Journal of Project Management. 37(6). pp.839-854.