Securing onsite safety

Make sure you’re aware of your health and safety responsibilities as a ‘principal’.

The Health and Safety Act 1992 requires principals to take ‘all practicable steps’ to ensure the health and safety of all (sub) contractors and their employees, who carry out work of any kind during an entire project.

A principal is anyone who employs someone to do paid work using a contract.

While your client has a responsibility as a ‘principal,’ several people can be ‘principals’ at any one time. Remember, you may wear more than one ‘hat’ at any particular stage of a project. (see Chart 1)

“While your client has a responsibility as a ‘principal’ several people can be ‘principals’ at any one time.

One practicable step a principal can take to ensure safety on site is to pre-qualify all (sub) contractors, by having them prove their work can be carried out safely and competently.

Prequalifying (sub) contractors

Pre-qualify (sub) contractors’ health and safety management systems before selecting and negotiating a contract. Ensure they’ve made health and safety a priority and are capable of carrying out the work in that manner.

Principals should request the following from a (sub) contractor:

• A fully developed site-specific health and safety plan.
• Evidence of competency, such as a training matrix or register.
• Evidence of on-site activity, such as site meetings and procedures.
• Arrangements for discussing health and safety matters with people on site, such as scheduled toolbox safety meetings.
• Evidence of incident and accident reporting and investigation.
• Ways to monitor health and safety performance, such as reports, audits and inspections.
• Ways to share information from the client or designer/adviser with other contractors and employees, such as activity reports.
• Ways to control visitor access, including such things as delivery of materials.

Health and safety plans of (sub) contractors should be monitored by their principal until the project is completed.

APPCON OPTION

One way the construction industry is pre-qualifying (sub) contractors is through AppCon. This database provides (sub) contractors with a health and safety questionnaire to complete and support with evidence. The questionnaire is assessed and graded by a health and safety professional. Principals can view (sub) contractors’ health and safety grading before engaging them for work. For more information about AppCon, head to www.sitesafe.org.nz/appcon. To register onto AppCon, head to www.appcon.co.nz.

Chat with your Site Safe health and safety adviser for further advice about pre-qualifying contractors and assistance in pulling together your own paperwork before a tender.

” Pre-qualify (sub) contractors’ health and safety management systems before selecting and negotiating a contract

Important changes to the Health and Safety Act

The Health and Safety Act 1992 is currently being reviewed. According to the Government’s Draft Health and Safety Reform Bill, the contractual process/chain will continue; however, responsibilities and duties will become clearer and obligations cannot be contracted away.

The proposed Bill discusses a new term called ‘Persons Conducting Business or Undertaking’ (PCBU). The PCBU concept ensures that the duties lie with those people in the best possible position to control risks to health and safety and that those duties are appropriate to their role in the workplace.

Visit www.mbie.govt.nz/what-we-do/workplace-health-and-safety-reform for more information, or head to Site Safe’s ‘The Hub: NZ Workplace Health and Safety Reform’ page under the ‘Information & Tool’ tab.

About Site Safe

Vision: Construction – proud to be safe. Contact Site Safe at 0800 SITE SAFE or visit www.sitesafe.org.nz.

Site Safe NZ Inc is a not-for-profit, membership-based organisation that promotes a culture of safety in the New Zealand construction and related industries.