PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is an essential element of health and safety  for any building site environment. Whilst PPE often remains the property of the employer providing the equipment, once issued to an individual, it is that individuals responsibility to keep it safe, to ensure that it is kept in good working order, and to wear it, or use it, whenever appropriate. Basic PPE for workers on a construction job would comprise of (but is not limited to):

• Safety Helmet (Hard Hat)
• Safety Boots (Steel Toe Capped)
• Safety Glasses or Goggles
• Protective Gloves (Various types are available)
• Ear Defenders
• High Visibility Over-clothes

PPE is Defined by a Risk Assessment

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is defined by carrying out a risk assessment (refer to the risk assessment section) that covers either an environment, (in this case a construction site), or a specific task, such as carpentry or bricklaying for example. The risk assessment is one of the keystones of health and safety in action because it examines the nature and circumstances of any task, to discover, highlight, and mitigate any hazards that may be encountered through best practice, as defined in a method statement, (refer to the separate section on method statements) and the use of specific PPE. Depending on the nature of the work in question, certain items of PPE (for example Hard Hats on a construction site), must be worn at all times. PPE will be one of the main issues discussed during the initial site safety induction course.

PPE and the Small Building Contractor

PPE is not expensive but it saves lives. It is one of the most important aspects of health and safety best practice in any working environment, second only to the site safety induction which must be attended by anyone visiting the site. All employers are legally obliged to ensure that the workers they employ are correctly outfitted with the appropriate PPE for any specific task. Some small building contractors may specify that their employees must provide their own PPE such as Hard Hats for example. However, if this is the case, they cannot evade the responsibility for ensuring that the correct PPE is worn by workers in every instance. It is of paramount importance, not only for the safety of the workers, but for their own protection against claims for subsequent accidents and damages that could occur through non availability or incorrect use of PPE.

Just as motor vehicles that are used on the pubic highways must be fit for purpose (as defined by their age and the deployment of MOT certificates), any vehicles used on a construction site must also be regulated through the use of a correct Traffic Management policy. Statistics tell us that on average 7 people are killed every year, and 93 are seriously hurt by accidents involving construction site vehicles and/or mobile plant.  All vehicles must be fit for purpose and should undergo a weekly or daily safety check before being used.

But in addition to the plant and/or vehicles being mechanically fit for purpose, good traffic management, defining the movement of vehicles, and the minimizing of any hazard to workers, by defining restricted areas of operation, correct training, and appropriate procedures, must be put in place. Traffic management is the subject of a dedicated section within this document and will be elaborated on in the future.

Where possible the sites safety manager should ensure that people and vehicles are kept apart. Ultimately keepings vehicles and pedestrians completely separated is ideal, but most of the time this is not possible!

Where pedestrians and vehicles share a route the use of Safety Barriers and Good Lighting is of the utmost importance. Clearly painted street markings, the use of use plastic or concrete roadside kerbs, flexible barriers (often made from wire rope strung between removable posts), semi-rigid barriers (usually made from steel) or rigid concrete barriers are should be deployed.

Site managers should ensure that clear markings are used to designate a safe walkway and that these marking are always visible to pedestrians. Where pedestrians need to cross a vehicle route, clearly marked crossing points must be made available. There are a large variety of either steel or plastic road crossing plates available for hire from companies such as HSS hire. (Trade Association members can make use of a members discount to help cover the cost of any health and safety equipment hired. Simply give your personal account manager a call for more information on how to access this great benefit.)

Seasoned site managers are used to planning safe routes for vehicles. One tip is to eliminate the need to reverse a car, van or truck where ever possible. This is done by creating a well-planned one way system. By planning traffic routes so that drivers do not need to reverse, imposing strict speed restrictions and clear signage, both site visitors and construction staff are kept safer. A banks man should always be available where vehicles are allowed on a construction site. They do far more than simply direct traffic and help with reversing. Please Note: A safety barrier should only be built if the existing hazard cannot be removed or prevented from becoming a danger to others, not the other way around.