Charter Commitment #6

Site safety

Commitment six is about managing risk on the ground.  This is the point the rubber meets the road, and all the plans, policies and procedures are put to the test.  It is one thing to have the paperwork all compliant, but another to know and understand how risks are actually identified, managed, and communicated between the people doing the work on a particular site.  

Most of the actions of commitment six are common sense and now business as usual.  The use of site-specific safety plans rather than generic ones, with full awareness that conditions on a site can change by the hour, day, or week. The use of traffic management, asbestos, emergency management and environmental plans for the site, as well as pre-start and toolbox meetings, a properly maintained risk register, and a training and competency register.

PPE is worn by all people at all times and is appropriate to the task and compliant with the NZ/ASUS standard. Pre-qualification is through a recognised system, and the understanding that pre-qualification does not necessarily guarantee competence.  Training and assessment still needs to be completed for each specific task. How do workers co-ordinate and cooperate with others who have influence or control over risks on suite?

The understanding that both physical and mental risks need to be identified and managed on site, and appropriate individual, team, and organizational systems are in place. How much of a voice do workers have in risk assessment and mitigation and is there an open environment for such discussions.

However, the key component of commitment six is a robust verification process.  How does your organisation verify the actual steps that are being taken on the ground and is there a gap between health and safety as planned and health ands safety as done. Creating a positive health and safety culture on site is the culmination of many individual steps, and all need to be considered.