Health and Safety Organisation
The Quality and Safety Manager is independent of the Construction Department, and this is in order to remain as objective and impartial as possible. A Site Safety Committee is formed on every site, and it consists of the Project Engineer / Site Safety Officer (chairman of the Committee) and the Safety Representatives. A brief description of the duties and responsibilities of each individual is given below.
The Project Manager is responsible for the operation of the Company’s Safety Policy on his site. He monitors his site to ensure the implementation of safety instructions. When the Company is acting as Health and Safety Coordinator at the Construction Phase, the Project Manager is responsible for ensuring:
• Co-operation between contractors. • The development of the Health and Safety Plan and the provision of information and directions to contractors. • The collection of information for inclusion in the Health and Safety File. • The laying down of site rules.
The Quality and Safety Manager is responsible for the implementation of the Company’s Safety Policy and for ensuring a system of management to effectively control and co-ordinate the activities of contractors. Amongst his basic duties are to advise the Managing Director and the Construction Manager on the legal requirements and safety matters in general, to check that the company’s work is being carried out in accordance with the legal requirements and recommended methods, to keep all the relevant safety records and to inform and instruct the Site Safety Officers as to their duties.
The Project Engineer / Site Safety Officer is responsible for ensuring the day-to-day implementation of the Company’s Safety Policy and safe working practices, for co- ordinating the activities of contractors, for developing the Health and Safety plan and for providing relevant information to contractors. Amongst his basic duties are to inspect the site and produce a written report highlighting hazards, providing advice and indicating other matters checked and discussed during the inspection of the site. Depending on the complexity of the site, the frequency of inspections can be anything between once a week to once a month. Other duties are to summon and chair the Safety Committee meetings, to prepare and distribute the agenda and to keep the minutes.
Amongst the basic duties of the Safety Representatives are to attend the Safety Committee meetings, to accompany the Labour / Safety Inspector or the Project Engineer / Site Safety Officer during the site inspections, to inform the Project Engineer / Site Safety Officer of any safety problems arising, to inform their colleagues about health and safety matters and generally to represent the employees at the particular site on health and safety matters.
Monitoring of the Health and Safety Policy:
Health and Safety forms an integral part of the Company’s Quality Management System. Further to this, a Health and Safety Plan is prepared specifically for each project undertaken by the Company.
The Project Manager, in liaison with the Quality and Safety Manager, arranges for audits to be undertaken on the implementation of the Project Quality Plan as well as the Health and Safety Plan. The Project Manager also arranges for additional audits to be undertaken on particular sections of the work as required. Corrective and preventive action is taken as and whenever necessary.
GCC has the following documented procedures in order to ensure that the requirements of the Quality Management System (QMS) are being followed at all times:
• Internal Audits: The Company carries out Internal Audits once a year (or at other frequencies decided upon by the Quality and Safety Manager) in order to ensure that the QMS of the Company is properly implemented and that it is also effective and efficient. The Internal Audit effectively serves several purposes:
• It checks to see whether the QMS is working properly, and whether there are any defects in the QMS. • It looks for possible improvements. • It discovers potential dangers or problems. • It stops waste and loss. • It checks that previously identified problems have been corrected.
• Handling of Nonconformities: Any employee can identify and raise a Nonconformity at all stages of the Company’s cycle. All Nonconformities identified, are recorded and evaluated by the Departmental Manager, in order to apply the necessary Corrective and/or Preventive Actions.
• Management Review Meeting: The Management Committee and the Quality and Safety Manager meet and review the QMS once a year. All decisions taken at this meeting are communicated to all people directly involved, in order to take all the necessary Corrective and/or Preventive Actions.
• Corrective and Preventive Actions: All Nonconformities identified are rectified by Corrective and/or Preventive Actions. After the Corrective and/or Preventive Actions have been executed (within the specified completion due date), verification is carried out by the relevant Departmental Manager.
Health and Safety enforcement on site:
In summary, the arrangements for carrying out the Health and Safety Policy of the Company are the following:
• All the employees are informed of the policy.
• All the identified hazards associated with activities carried out as part of the normal work of the company are dealt with by following the standard company procedures that incorporate the elements of health and safety. The precautions and procedures necessary for dealing with special risks relating to types of sites, building and processes of work activities are identified and implemented accordingly. Planned control measures are taken when dealing with substances hazardous to health.
• Written safe systems and methods of work for all company activities, including maintenance and cleaning machinery and plant, are displayed on the Safety Notice Board or issued to the employees whenever necessary.
• All the necessary personal protective equipment and clothing are provided by the employer and employees refusing to use them are removed from the site.
• Health and safety inspections are carried out at regular intervals. Reports are sent to the Quality and Safety Manager who monitors the implementation of the policy and whenever necessary writes an improvement programme listing what has to be done, who shall do it and setting a date for completion.
• Accidents are reported to the Quality and Safety Manager who arranges for an investigation involving visits to the scene of the accident, collection of evidence and taking statements. A report is written and an analysis is carried out by comparing to previous accident reports.
• All employees, and especially the Safety Representatives, can inform the Project Engineer / Site Safety Officer of any health and safety matters or problems arising on site, either verbally or in writing. The site Safety Notice Board can also be used for the supply and exchange of information.
• The following information is displayed on the Safety Notice Board of each site:
• The Company’s Health and Safety Policy Statement • Employers Liability Insurance Certificate • Form for Notification of Project • Emergency Procedures • Emergency Telephone Numbers • Location of the first aid boxes and the names of the First Aiders and/or the First Aid Appointed Persons • Site Safety Committee - List of Members and Minutes of Meeting • General Site Plan • The Company’s Site Safety Rules
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