Construction Site Safety Manual

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Disclaimer The materials contained in this Construction Site Safety Manual(hereunder Manual) have been developed to provide guidance to interested parties, including contractors and subcontractors, in managing safety and health risks in accordance with the agreed principles of the REDA/HKCA Safety Partnering Programme and the contractual requirements. Every due care has been exercised taking into the account the circumstances of local working environment and requirements of the laws of Hong Kong. Any advice or comment in this Manual is given in this general context and should not be relied upon as a substitute for legal or other professional advice. This document is produced to provide practical guidance on managing safety and health on construction sites and to meet legal obligations. There is no intention whatsoever to offer exhaustive guidance and interpretation of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and its subsidiary regulations. Anyone wishing to affirm the legal position of individual facts or situation should refer to the relevant regulations and other related statutory documents or consult a lawyer. Taking the advice and good management practice given in this document does not confer any immunity from legal obligations, both criminal and civil. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided in this Manual, the author, REDA/HKCA, their agents and the publishers accept no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage caused, whether occasioned by negligence, misstatement or otherwise arising out of any errors, omissions or inaccuracies in the materials. Copyright The copyright of this document rests jointly with The Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Construction Association. Reproduction of any of its contents for commercial purpose is not allowed. June 2005.

Construction Site Safety Manual

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Table of Contents Preface ............................................................................................................................................ 4

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 7 1.1 The Safety Partnering Programme .................................................................................7 1.2 Construction Site Safety Manual....................................................................................7 1.3 Who should read this Manual? .......................................................................................8 1.4 Related reference documents..........................................................................................8

2. Policy and Strategies .............................................................................................................. 9 2.1 Policy..............................................................................................................................9 2.2 Strategies ........................................................................................................................9

3. Legislations and Quasi-legal Documents ........................................................................... 12 3.1 Background...................................................................................................................12 3.2 Architecture of safety legislation..................................................................................12 3.3 Legislations applicable to construction sites ................................................................13 3.4 Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (F&IUO) ........................................14 3.5 Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance (OSHO) ...................................................18 3.6 Boilers and Pressure Vessels Ordinance .......................................................................22 3.7 Buildings Ordinance.....................................................................................................22 3.8 Builders Lifts and Tower Working Platforms (Safety) Ordinance ..............................23 3.9 Dangerous Goods Ordinance........................................................................................24 3.10 Electricity Ordinance....................................................................................................25 3.11 Gas Safety Ordinance ...................................................................................................25 3.12 Fire Services Ordinance ...............................................................................................26 3.13 Waste Disposal Ordinance............................................................................................26 3.14 Code of Practices..........................................................................................................26 3.15 Publications and pamphlets ..........................................................................................29 3.16 Reference Manuals for Inspection Reports ..................................................................29 3.17 Occupational Safety and Health Bookshelf (CD-ROM) ..............................................29

4. Contractual Provisions on Safety........................................................................................ 30 4.1 Introduction and Guidance Notes .................................................................................30

5. Responsibilities of Various Parties...................................................................................... 32 5.1 The developer as a Employer .......................................................................................32 5.2 The Employers Representative....................................................................................34 5.3 The designer .................................................................................................................35 5.4 The contractor...............................................................................................................38 5.5 The employee and worker ............................................................................................42 5.6 The self-employed person ............................................................................................43 5.7 Departments or units within an organization................................................................43 5.8 Key personnel within an organization ..........................................................................45

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6. Safety Training and Promotion........................................................................................... 49 6.1 Training responsibilities of a contractor or employer...................................................49 6.2 Information provision responsibilities of a contractor or employer .............................55 6.3 Information provision responsibilities of a developer or Employer .............................56 6.4 Organizing safety promotion programme by a contractor............................................56

7. Safety Communication......................................................................................................... 58 7.1 General .........................................................................................................................58 7.2 Coordinating Meetings between the Employer and the Contractor (Coordinating eeting)58 7.3 Site Safety Management Meeting.................................................................................59 7.4 Site Safety Committee ..................................................................................................61

8. Proactive Monitoring ........................................................................................................... 64 8.1 Inspections....................................................................................................................64 8.2 Monitoring of Implementation of the Site Safety Plan.................................................65 8.3 Safety Audit commissioned by the Employers Representative ...................................66 8.4 Mandatory Safety Audit ...............................................................................................66

9. Reactive Monitoring............................................................................................................. 68 9.1 Reporting of accidents/ dangerous Occurrences...........................................................68 9.2 Accident and dangerous occurrence investigation .......................................................70 9.3 Remedial action ............................................................................................................71 9.4 Accident Statistics ........................................................................................................71

10. Pay for Safety Scheme.......................................................................................................... 73 10.1 Background...................................................................................................................73 10.2 Guidance Notes ............................................................................................................74

Appendix I Guidance on Preparing a Site Safety Plan......................................................... 77

Appendix II Mandatory Basic Safety Training Courses ...................................................... 83

Appendix III Cartridge-operated Fixing Tools ................