Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Card Health, Safety and Welfare Law and Responsibilities Syllabus

Health, Safety and Welfare Law and Responsibilities syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Health, Safety and Welfare Law and Responsibilities in Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Card, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Core UK Construction Legislation

   4 topics

   • Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
     • Duties of employers, employees and the self-employed
     • "So far as is reasonably practicable"
   • Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
     • Risk assessment duty
   • Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM)
     • Client, Principal Designer, Principal Contractor roles
     • Construction phase plan and pre-construction information
   • Role of the HSE as enforcer
     • Improvement and prohibition notices, prosecution
2. 2

   Roles, Duties and General Site Responsibilities

   4 topics

   • Duty of care to yourself and others
   • Reporting hazards, near misses and unsafe conditions
   • Cooperation, following the safe system of work
   • Right to stop work for serious and imminent danger
3. 3

   Risk Assessment and Method Statements

   4 topics

   • The five steps of risk assessment
     • Identify hazards, decide who may be harmed, evaluate risk
     • Record findings, review and update
   • Safe systems of work and method statements (RAMS)
   • The hierarchy of control
     • Elimination, substitution, engineering controls, admin controls, PPE
   • Permits to work
4. 4

   Accident Reporting and Emergency Procedures

   4 topics

   • RIDDOR reporting of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences
   • First aid arrangements on site
   • Emergency, evacuation and assembly procedures
   • Accident investigation and recording in the accident book

Health, Safety and Welfare Law and Responsibilities flashcards for Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Card

23 of 51 cards from the Health, Safety and Welfare Law and Responsibilities deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the primary piece of UK legislation governing workplace health and safety, and what year was it enacted?

   The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA). It is the main, overarching ('umbrella') Act covering health, safety and welfare in nearly all workplaces in Great Britain.

2. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, what are an employer's general duties to employees?

   To ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all employees - including safe plant and systems of work, safe handling/storage of substances, information/instruction/training/supervision, a safe workplace, and a safe working environment with adequate welfare facilities.

3. Under Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, what duties do employees have?

   To take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and others affected by their acts or omissions, and to cooperate with their employer so the employer can meet its legal duties.

4. What does Section 8 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 require of every person at work?

   No person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of health, safety or welfare (e.g. guards, signs, fire extinguishers, PPE).

5. What does the legal phrase 'so far as is reasonably practicable' (SFAIRP) mean?

   That the risk must be weighed against the time, trouble, cost and effort needed to control it; if the cost/effort is grossly disproportionate to the risk, no further action is required. It allows a balance between risk and the sacrifice needed to reduce it.

6. Which 1999 regulations require employers to carry out risk assessments and put management arrangements in place?

   The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (often called the 'Management Regs' or MHSWR).

7. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, when must a risk assessment be written down (recorded)?

   When the employer has 5 or more employees, the significant findings of the risk assessment must be recorded.

8. What do the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM) cover?

   How health, safety and welfare must be planned and managed throughout a construction project - from concept and design through to construction, maintenance and demolition. They apply to all construction projects.

9. Name the main duty holders defined under the CDM Regulations 2015.

   Client, Principal Designer, Designer, Principal Contractor, Contractor, and Workers.

10. Under CDM 2015, who appoints the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor, and when are they required?

    The Client appoints them in writing. A Principal Designer and Principal Contractor must be appointed whenever there is more than one contractor (or it is reasonably foreseeable there will be) on a project.

11. Under CDM 2015, what is a construction phase plan and who prepares it?

    A document setting out the health and safety arrangements, site rules and specific measures for the construction work. The Principal Contractor (or the contractor on a single-contractor project) prepares it before the construction phase begins.

12. Under CDM 2015, when must a project be notified to the HSE (F10 notification)?

    When construction work is scheduled to last longer than 30 working days with more than 20 workers working simultaneously at any point, OR exceeds 500 person-days of work. The Client is responsible for the notification.

13. What is the role of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in the UK?

    The HSE is the national independent regulator and enforcer of workplace health and safety law. It produces guidance and Approved Codes of Practice (ACOPs), inspects workplaces, investigates accidents, and enforces the law.

14. What enforcement actions can an HSE inspector take?

    Give verbal/written advice, issue an Improvement Notice, issue a Prohibition Notice, and prosecute (which can lead to unlimited fines and/or imprisonment). Inspectors can also recover costs under Fee for Intervention (FFI).

15. What is the difference between an Improvement Notice and a Prohibition Notice?

    An Improvement Notice requires a breach to be put right within a set time period, while work may continue. A Prohibition Notice stops a dangerous activity immediately (or after a stated time) because of risk of serious personal injury.

16. What does 'duty of care' mean for a worker on site?

    A legal and moral responsibility to take reasonable care for your own health and safety and that of anyone else who could be affected by what you do or fail to do (colleagues, visitors, the public).

17. Why should you report hazards, near misses and unsafe conditions even if no one was hurt?

    Because a near miss is a warning that an accident could happen; reporting allows the cause to be removed before it injures someone. It supports a proactive safety culture and helps prevent future incidents.

18. Define the difference between a hazard and a risk.

    A hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm (e.g. electricity, working at height, a chemical). A risk is the likelihood that the hazard will cause harm, combined with the severity of that harm.

19. What is a 'near miss'?

    An unplanned event that did not result in injury, illness or damage, but had the potential to do so. Reporting near misses helps prevent future accidents.

20. Why is cooperation between workers, contractors and employers a legal requirement on site?

    Because construction sites involve multiple trades/employers; cooperation (required under HASAWA s.7 and the Management Regs) ensures everyone's activities do not endanger others and that shared control measures work effectively.

21. What is a 'safe system of work'?

    A formal, planned procedure resulting from a systematic examination of a task that identifies hazards and defines safe methods to eliminate or control the risks. Workers must follow it.

22. What legal right do workers have when they face serious and imminent danger?

    The right to stop work and remove themselves from the danger without being penalised. Under the Management Regs, employers must enable workers to leave and not return until it is safe.

23. List the five steps of risk assessment as set out by the HSE.

    1) Identify the hazards; 2) Decide who might be harmed and how; 3) Evaluate the risks and decide on control measures (precautions); 4) Record your significant findings and implement them; 5) Review the assessment and update it as necessary.

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