April Fool's Quiz - can you spot the myths?

To recognise April Fool’s Day, we thought we would challenge your thinking as construction environments make for some of the most dangerous and 2020/21 saw 39 fatal injuries within the construction sector, 50% of which were falls from height, so it is crucial that health & safety best practise is implemented correctly and successfully.

So, do you believe you are a construction Health & Safety whizz? See if you can pick out the two April Fool myths from the below: (answers below)

1.               HSE has banned stepladders in the workplace.  

2.               Work at height means work in any place where workers are more than six feet from ground level.

3.               Under the Construction, Design and Management Regulations (CDM 2015) a construction phase plan is required for every construction project.

 4.               Marquees and similar tents are not construction work as defined by the CDM 2015 regulations

 5.               If no Principal Designer or Principal Contractor is appointed for a project the client must fulfil those roles and duties.

‍ANSWERS:

1.     FALSE - the HSE has never banned stepladders, but they have said that stepladders are not suitable for every single job. The HSE website states:

“For straight forward, short duration work stepladders and ladders can be a good option, but you wouldn’t want to be wobbling about on them doing complex tasks for long periods.”

2.      FALSE- work at height means work in any place where, if precautions were not taken, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. You are working at height if you:

- work above ground/floor level

- could fall from an edge, through an opening or fragile surface or

- could fall from ground level into an opening in a floor or a hole in the ground

Work at height does not include a slip or a trip on the level, as a fall from height has to involve a fall from one level to a lower level; nor does it include walking up and down a permanent staircase in abuilding. Please see the link below for further guidance https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg401.pdf

3.     TRUE - under the Construction, Design and Management Regulations (CDM 2015)a construction phase plan is required for every construction project. This doesnot need to be complicated. Please click on the link below for further guidance on Construction Phase Plans  https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/cis80.pdf

4.     TRUE – the following are not considered construction work as defined by the CDM Regulations 2015;

·    Marquees and similar tents

·    Tree planting and general horticultural work

·    Surveying -this includes taking levels, making measurements etc.

·     Off-site manufacture of items for later use in construction work

·     Archaeological investigations

5.     TRUE - if no Principal Designer or Principal Contractor is appointed for a project, the client must fulfil those roles and duties. Please see the link below for further details of client duties under the CDM 2015 Regulations: https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/2015/commercial-clients.htm

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