Managing a construction site involves a lot of work and requires many skills. After all, a construction manager holds a hybrid role and has a lot of responsibilities, ranging from managing budgets to organising the workforce and setting the schedule.

One key aspect of running a construction site is ensuring the health and safety of every member of staff and site visitor.

This might seem like a monumental task, but there are various responsibilities that you can pass over to appointed, competent staff members.

Still, it’s important that you understand the health and safety aspects of managing a construction site, which is why we’ve put together this brief introductory list of risks and procedures every construction site manager should be aware of.

Chemical Safety

Many construction sites keep chemicals which require proper handling and storage to ensure the safety of workers and visitors. As such, you should find a competent person on your staff to complete a COSHH risk assessment. You can save time and ensure accuracy by using a COSHH risk assessment template from HS Direct. Their experts have put together audits that can help you and your team to understand and reduce the risk of harm from hazardous chemicals on your construction site.

Fire Safety

Construction sites are constantly evolving, which means that you need to be adapting your fire safety plans accordingly. Escape routes and meet-up points might change as the site develops, so make sure that you regularly review your fire evacuation routes and host drills every week or month, depending on the speed of construction. This proactive approach will ensure that your site is safe and that your team always knows what to do in the case of a fire.

Manual Handling

Every construction site includes a wide range of machines and pieces of equipment, all of which need to be handled correctly to avoid injury or damage to the machinery. Some items might have specific procedures and rules from the manufacturers that need to be followed at all times. Others might be more flexible and easier to use, meaning you can come up with the best, and safest, way to use them yourself. As such, you need to make sure that your staff are aware of the manual handling procedures in use on your site. Learn how to manage manual handling risks on your site, then work out what the best policies are to suit your space and working practices.

Working At Height Risks

Construction sites that involve large properties and scaffolding towers require your staff to work at heights. This can be risky, not only because of the chances of falling, but also the issue of dropping heavy tools onto staff below, fainting from fear, and more. As such, you need to conduct a safety audit for all staff members who will be working at heights, and ensure that they have the equipment and training they need to stay safe at all times. Working at heights doesn’t suit every construction team member, so make sure that you assess an individual’s proficiency before you allow them to work on high platforms.