Trustpilot
25 February 2016 In Commercial

What if my employee misjudges a safety issue on site and now he’s being investigated?

Here at amb insurance, we want to bring you the latest in insurance policies and this week we’re talking about the updated Construction (Design & Management) Regulations.

“Now is a great time for the insurance industry to highlight the risks posed to decisions makers; particularly for those making decisions that affect the health and safety exposure to employees”

The aim of the update is to raise the standard of construction, health and safety management by anticipating potential problems at the design stage.

A principal contractor is appointed by the client to manage the construction phase and their duties include monitoring, and coordinating health and safety during the construction phase.

The Principal Contractor must provide contractors and the self-employed with the following information:

  • The names of the Principal Designer and the relevant parts of the Health and Safety Plan.
  • The arrangements for the health and safety management of the construction work.
  • The health and safety monitoring arrangements.
  • Site Rules and procedures (PPE, training and competence requirements.)
  • The rules for further sub-contracting work.

So, what if you are working under a Principal Contractor?

Contractors or the self-employed must show that they are competent with health and safety rules in accordance with the CDM regulations and must prove documentary evidence before starting on a CDM project.

Contractors must work in a cooperation with the principal contractor and most importantly provide information about the risks created by their work and how this could affect others.

Any potential accidents or dangerous occurrences should be detailed and you must provide information for the health and safety file. Having knowledge of safety legislation, Codes, Guidance and Standards and the ability to apply them to hazards of the project work will help with this.

Those decision makers need to understand that there are risks where their decisions will get called into question if something goes wrong. It’s reassuring to know that professional legal advice is at the end of the telephone, and if things get serious, the legal costs are covered.

We hope that these points have helped to clear up some questions but if there are specific questions relating to this and your business amb insurance can create a policy that covers you and your business so you don’t have to worry – call today to organise a consultation.

Next week we’re covering more on this topic and looking at need protection from allegations of miss management – so tune in next week for more!