Good practices

Construction Industry RT wants to commit its member companies and their partners to conduct safety observations in the companies. Companies can use a free mobile application for security observations. 

One work accident can be preceded by hundreds of similar near misses. The occurrence of work accidents and other unwanted events can be prevented when deficiencies and problems are removed in advance with the help of safety observations. 

Safety observations are one of the most effective ways to avoid work accidents. Supervisors and company management must ensure that safety observations and emergency notifications are made in the company. They must also be included in the company's performance goals. 

It is important that all safety observations on the construction site are processed together and that feedback is given to the personnel. Information within the rest of the organization is important, especially for all those cases that may also be relevant to the safety of other workplaces.  

It is always a good idea to start a learning process from safety observations, especially if the observation could have resulted in a serious accident or other damage. In this way, accidents can be prevented with the help of previously collected observations. 

A functional and efficient work tool is needed to make safety observations. Rakennusteollisuus RT offers its member companies and their partners an electronic observation tool of one service provider (Congrid) free of charge. It makes it easy for personnel to immediately report any safety deficiencies they notice on the job site with a free mobile application.  

• See in the video why it is worth making safety observations and how the free mobile application (Congrid) works.

• Find out here and download a free tool (Congrid) for easily making and managing safety observations: https://www.congrid.fi/kampanja/

Congrid is one of the mobile applications on the market developed for data collection. The products of different application developers differ somewhat from each other, and the company should compare the features of different manufacturers' products with each other in order to find the product that best suits them. Other service providers include East Dataconst, Kotopro, Visma Software, Caracom Group, Movenium Oy, Takamäki Yhtiöt, Grano Oy/SokoPro, Admicom, Loginets Oy, Buildercom, ConSight and LIS Group Oy/InstaAudit. 

Below is one example of what kind of form can be used to collect observations/reports at workplaces. You can print the form with a printer (A4 size, single-sided printing, 4 observation cards/page), or order a double-sided A6-sized observation card in digital printing. 

Printable and hand filled, A4 (pdf)
Send the material for digital printing, double-sided A6 (pdf)
Electronic filling A4 (pdf) 

In practice, the work management performs the duties stipulated in the Occupational Safety and Health Act on behalf of the employer at the work sites. Management and supervisors have legal responsibility for performing their duties. The employer, on the other hand, is responsible for choosing a person who is capable of doing this for supervisor and work management positions. The employer is also responsible for teaching and guiding the person. 

Measure the amount of work management correctly 

The amount of work management must be measured correctly in relation to the size and quality of the project. The number of subcontractors and foreign employees must be taken into account when estimating the amount of work management. The more foreign labor and subcontractors there are on the site, the more management present on the site is needed to coordinate activities. 

Work management at the construction site in the evenings and weekends? 

The need for management at work sites in the evenings and weekends has arisen especially due to the increase in the number of foreign workers. The main contractor has to consider on a case-by-case basis whether the work management needs to be there or not.

Even in contract contracts, you have to take care of procedures regarding evening and weekend work. The general contractor must be notified well in advance about evening and weekend work. This considers whether there is a reason for the management to be physically present. The most important thing is to make sure that the construction site has the correct and sufficient occupational safety expertise in every situation, as well as employees who work and are entitled to work in accordance with the law. 

Everyone has a responsibility 

In the case of a joint workplace, the responsibility for the safety of the site as a whole lies with the person who exercises the main control over the site. In a joint workplace, one employer exercises the main control, and more than one employer or independent worker performs work there at the same time or in succession, so that the work can affect the safety or health of others.

Other employers and self-employed workers must also ensure that their activities do not endanger employees. Every employer and self-employed person therefore has responsibility for occupational safety. 

In construction, many different parties have safety responsibilities. The responsibility of the developer undertaking the construction project is particularly important. Therefore, this should appoint a separately qualified and competent safety coordinator for the project, taking into account its size and demands. 

Appointing a safety coordinator does not reduce the responsibilities of the main contractor and designers. The developer is also responsible for ensuring that the safety coordinator takes care of his duties. 

What is the safety coordinator responsible for? 

The safety coordinator is responsible for coordinating the safety and health-related measures laid down for the developer during the preparation, planning and implementation phase of the construction project

•  in the budget planning, there are sufficient provisions for the necessary studies, surveys, and works for doing things safely and for supervision
• in the schedule planning, sufficient time has been reserved for investigations, investigations and work phasing
• occupational safety matters are taken into account in the project planning and the special features of renovation construction are also remembered. 

It is recommended that the same person acts as the safety coordinator from project planning to the end of implementation. 

Competence and powers under the developer's responsibility

The developer must ensure that the safety coordinator has sufficient qualifications, appropriate powers and other prerequisites to take care of the construction project in question. 

The qualification requirement is not defined in more detail in the regulation on the safety of construction work. Competence can be assessed according to the designer's qualification requirements in the Land Use and Building Act and the complexity of the construction project. 

In practice, the tasks of the safety coordinator are, as the title suggests, coordination tasks. They require project management skills. It can be evaluated based on the nature of the project. 

The safety coordinator must handle his task himself

The safety coordinator must handle his task himself. He must personally participate in the meetings organized in the construction project and ensure that the obligations regarding work safety required in them are taken care of. He must ensure that the various parties of the project cooperate in matters concerning work safety. 

The safety coordinator must ensure that

• the designers have a written mandate to consider occupational safety in the design
• designers have access to the necessary output data that is up to date
• a safety document, safety rules and procedure instructions have been drawn up for the project. These issues can be presented as part of the project's other documents. 

In repair construction projects and maintenance work, the aforementioned regulations must be followed, applying them according to the scope and complexity of the project. In repair construction and maintenance, the safety coordinator's duties are primarily related to project preparation and planning. 

At the construction site, the main contractor must take care, together with other contractors, of work coordination and work safety. 

Scaffolding safety mainly includes the safe erection of scaffolding and weather protection and their safe use. Properly erected scaffolding and weather protection are safe for their users.  

Risks must be assessed in advance

In scaffolding erection work, risk assessment is the most important work step before starting scaffolding work, and its goal is always to improve safety. Planning the work and sticking to the plans is important. The absence of a plan or a deviation from the normal way of working can change the chain of events and cause a dangerous situation, a near miss, or a serious accident.  

The most serious risk in scaffolding work is falls. Therefore, in order to prevent falls, the rack installer must use a full harness in his work, which is equipped with a shock absorber and two hooks. The installer must wear a safety harness at all times, regardless of the stage of scaffolding work.  

No changes may be made

During the use of the scaffolding, the scaffolding must be kept in its original condition. For example, you must not make any changes to the scaffold or its structure that deviate from the plan, you must not remove parts of the scaffold, such as guardrails, anchors, diagonal supports or platforms, and you must not make changes that affect the standing stability of the scaffold.  

Before lifting the goods, the maximum load capacity of the rack must be checked from the rack card. The stand must not be overloaded, and therefore when loading the stand, the persons moving on the stand must also be taken into account. Objects that do not belong on the stand must be removed.  

See also: 

Fall protection during scaffolding work brochure (pdf)

8 important things (pdf)