Site safety for architects
Designers or their staff may work closely with a principal contractor, or as a principal contractor in a design and construction project, during construction. Designers carrying out activities such as site-inspection duties or measuring existing features may be exposed to hazards associated with travelling to and from site and performing tasks on the site.
Planning
Designers should take a proactive approach to identify WHS hazards and associated risks, plan ahead and implement control measures where possible before attending on site. The activities may include demonstrating compliance and identifying the requirements of:
- Qualification
- Safety documents
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Emergency plan
- Induction.
Qualification
A principal contractor may require designers to demonstrate their capacity and capability to safely execute the work proposed. Designers may need to provide evidence of competency such as a White Card or task-specific licence.
A White Card (or general construction induction card) is a general requirement for working in a construction site in Australia. It is a mandatory requirement if designers access operational construction zones unaccompanied or not directly supervised by an inducted person. The White Card becomes void if the person has not carried out construction work for two consecutive years or more. Designers should always carry their White Cards when they are planning to visit construction sites.
Under the WHS/OHS legislation framework, architectural practices (as a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking, called a PCBU) should ensure that all staff working on construction sites complete a recognised Induction for Construction course, as relevant to their state or territory. General construction induction training provides basic knowledge of construction work, the work health and safety laws that apply, common hazards likely to be encountered in construction work, and how the associated risks can be controlled.
Where a site has a 'no induction card, no start' policy it avoids argument with the site WHS/OHS staff over the interpretation of the law. The induction card is regularly seen as an integral part of the site-specific site induction that all have to undertake. Subject to the nature of work, designers may need to provide evidence of task-specific licences or certificates. These can include:
- Working at Height certificate RIIWHS204D
- Enter and work in confined spaces certificate RIIWHS202D
- Electrical awareness
- Driver licences or training eg 4-wheel drive training.
Safety documents
Some sites require all contractors on site to provide Safe Work Methods Statements (SWMS) prior to their staff entering the site as part of their site-safety or WHS/OHS regime. SWMS is a common method for documenting hazards, risks and control measures for specific or generic tasks. SWMS is mandatory for high risk construction work. The requirements of preparing a SWMS are outlined in Construction work Code of Practice (2018). Refer also to the Work Health & Safety Policies and Procedures Manual located on the Institute's HR Hub for specific information about SWMS.
Where SWMS are not specifically mandated, designers may provide some form of documented safe work procedures. All documented safe working procedures should, at a minimum, describe the hazards and risks which may be involved in the work to be undertaken and the control measures that must be in place to manage them.
Architectural practices generally undertake similar tasks on different locations. Adopting standard company safe work procedures developed using a risk management process and team consultation should address any potentially hazardous tasks or situations.
Examples could include:
- Site inspections prestart procedure
- Drive safety/travel planning procedure
- Working at height procedure
- Emergency response procedures.
Refer to Safe Work Australia Construction work Code of Practice (2018).
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
It is mandatory for all workers on site to wear PPE. The PPE required can vary from site to site depending on the hazards that may present. Designers should confirm the requirement with the principal contractor. Typical PPE that designers should wear on site could include:
- Hard hat - Hard hats help to protect a worker's head from falling debris, low-hanging beams, and other incidents that may result in a dangerous knock to the head
- High-visibility vest - High-visibility vests and other high-vis clothing are used to ensure that the worker’s position on the site is visible to other workers at all times
- Steel cap work boots - Steel cap boots protect feet and ankles from heavy falling objects, trauma and uneven surfaces. Steel cap work boots also help to support feet during long work hours on the construction site.
Emergency plan and procedure
Designers should have an emergency plan in place which includes traveling to the site and emergency scenarios during the work. The emergency plan and procedure must clearly explain how to respond in various types of emergency including how to evacuate from the workplace in a controlled manner. Emergency procedures should include:
- an effective response to an emergency
- evacuation procedures
- notifying emergency service organisation (from the principal contractor) at the earliest opportunity
- medical treatment and help
- effective communication with the principal contractor to coordinate the emergency response and persons at the workplace.
Induction
The principal contractor may require designers to complete online inductions before attending the site. Designers should complete the inductions and follow the safety instructions in the inductions.
The induction contains a site-specific WHS plan, PPE requirements and proposed controls on certain risks. Designers may use the information to evaluate the risk for their activities and further develop their control measurements.
Onsite management
Designers should report to the site manager/controller and sign in and out daily at the site office or designated location.
The principal contractor may provide a site induction. This induction ensures any hazards specific to the work environment and methods for control are identified, communicated and addressed. Designers should participate in this site induction and update safety documents where applicable.
Works should be carried out in accordance with the methods outlined in SWMS or other safety documents. Designers should document the risk assessment process, controls in place prior to and throughout the duration of the work. Evidence may be in the form of reviewing, updating and signing SWMSs, the WHS plan and/or other safety documents.
Hazard incident reporting and investigation
All hazards sighted and incidents that occur must be reported to the principal contractor. Designers should follow the principal contractor reporting and investigation procedures identified in their WHS plan.
In the event of a serious incident, designers should ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the site where the incident occurred is not disturbed until further advice is received from the principal contractor. The designer should contact the site manager or the emergency response organisation outlined in the principal contractor’s Emergency Plan and designer’s Emergency Plan.
Responsibilities
Designers’ responsibilities
Designers have a responsibility to comply with WHS legislative requirements and to ensure that their work does not create a risk to the other people on site, the public and the environment. Designers must:
- Complete all inductions provided by the principal contractor
- Comply with all site WHS Policies and procedures as far as is reasonably practical to the proposed works
- Work in a safe manner and not put themselves or others at risks
- Consult with other duty holders
- Report hazards and safety incidents to principal contractors
- Comply with all relevant legislation.
Principal contractor’s responsibilities
‘A principal contractor is required for a construction project where the value of the construction work is $250,000 or more’ (Safe Work Australia 2018) and ‘has duties to ensure that the construction work is planned and managed in a way that eliminates or minimises health and safety risks so far as is reasonably practicable’ (Safe Work Australia 2018). The client can be the principal contractor or the client can engage a principal contractor (builder) to discharge their duties as a principal contractor. Responsibilities of the principal contractor include to:
- Ensure construction work is managed in a way that eliminates or minimises risk to health and safety
- Consult with other duty holders
- Manage risks associated with the construction work
- Secure the workplace
- Comply with all SWMS for high risk work.
Obligations under WHS/OHS legislation
Under WHS law in Australia, architects are not defined directly as duty holders. Responsibilities and liabilities under WHS law apply to duty holders as a function of who they are, eg an employer, employee, or in some states, a designer of a workplace. The principal responsibility for WHS/OHS rests with the employer who, in the context of a building site, is generally the building contractor. Responsibilities may also rest with the contractor's employer, eg the developer or the owner.
Obligations under building contracts
The ABIC MW 2018 and ABIC SW 2018 suite of contracts state that: the architect is appointed to administer the contract on behalf of the owner. One of the contractor's obligations under these ABIC contracts is to:
maintain compliant occupational health and safety on the site (housing contracts) or
maintain compliant work health and safety on the site (non-housing contracts).
The architect could therefore have an obligation to report on the adequacy of the contractor's WHS/OHS system.
In AS 4000 – 1997 (Standards Australia 1997), the superintendent may take action, in addition to any other remedies of the principal, if the contractor fails to take necessary urgent action to protect the work under construction, other property or people. The superintendent could, therefore, become involved if a breach of WHS/OHS requirements is observed.
References:
- Australian Government (2018) Construction work Code of Practice, Safe Work Australia.
- Australian Government (2018) Model Code of practice: Safe design of structures, Safe Work Australia website.
- Standards Australia (1997) Australian Standard AS 4000 – 1997 General Conditions Of Contract, Standards Australia.
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