Health and Safety Checklist

Have you got an up to date Management Asbestos Plan that clearly shows where asbestos is, or may be, found and the present condition of that asbestos?

Are your staff trained in asbestos awareness? If you or your staff are involved in the construction industry be that as a professional such as Architect, Surveyor etc. or as a site operative from tradesman to labourer, you must ensure that they receive Asbestos Awareness training annually.

The Wilkins Safety Group are running an Asbestos Awareness Course on 10^th April 2018

Has your fixed system been tested in the last five years? All too often the answer to this is No even though additional sockets etc have been added over the years.

Have portable appliances been tested/checked? I have also been asked if it is still a legal requirement to have items “PAT” tested each year. The answer is no the law simply requires an employer to ensure that their electrical equipment is maintained in order to prevent danger. It does not say how this should be done or how often. Employers should take a risk-based approach, considering the type of equipment and what it is being used for. If it is used regularly and moved a lot e.g. a floor cleaner or a kettle, testing (along with visual checks) can be an important part of an effective maintenance regime giving employers confidence that they are doing what is necessary to help them meet their legal duties.

Are cables, leads, plugs, sockets and any other electrical equipment in good condition?

Have you got an up to date fire risk assessment?

Are the means of escape clear of obstructions? Unlike the one pictured here.

Has there been a recent fire evacuation drill? – When you hold such a drill do you block the usual way in and out, just to see if staff know where to go if their usual route was on fire?

Have you got enough trained first aiders on site at all times and is their training up to date?

Is there a list displayed that shows everybody who the first aiders are?

Are the first aid boxes in good condition and full? – Unlike this one found on a site recently!

Are they all safely stored and properly labelled?

Have you carried out and kept up to date COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) and DSEAR (Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres) assessments and made sure that all are aware of these and the control measures?

Are suitable controls in place and do you monitor this?

Are the heating and ventilation systems working properly?

Is a satisfactory temperature maintained?

Are there thermometers on display for all to see?

Are all corridors, aisles, gangways, office floors etc. clear of slip and trip hazards?

Are all welfare areas, (toilets, mess rooms, kitchens etc.) clean and tidy?

Is there adequate lighting – this may need to be better in some situations.

Are all lights in good condition and working?

Are all guards in position and correctly working, adjusted, interlocks checked and with no exposed dangeropus parts?

Have all operatives and managers been trained in the safe operation of the machinery they use?

Has everybody in your employ been given Manual Handling training?

Do you monitor operatives to ensure all follow safe lifting techniques?

Are safe working loads (SWLs) Clearly marked?

Is the equipment being used within those limits?

Are the statutory inspections up to date? (Normally annual unless the equipment is used for lifting people in which case these should be at six-monthly intervals.)

Is everybody supplied with the appropriate PPE for their needs?

Have staff who need face masks been “Face Fitted”

Are there suitable arrangements for storage, cleaning and maintenance of the PPE?

Is there a supply of replacement items?

Are there items of PPE for visitors?

Are your risk assessments current (reviewed within last two years) and are recommended actions being followed?

Are all staff aware of these?

Are all signs visible, clean and relevant?

Do you require signs up in another language?

Is it safe and stable?

Can all storage be accessed safely?(No climbing on chairs and tables)

Are all tools and equipment in good condition?

Are they regularly checked and maintained?

Is there a register of these checks?

Do you have a training matrix drawn up that clearly shows what training each member of staff including management, requires and has received. Complete with dates of courses and renewal dates?

Are vehicles and pedestrians segregated wherever possible?

Is there a speed limit?

Do you control who can bring a vehicle on to site?

Do you have copies of driving licences and other training certificates for all who drive vehicles on company business?

Have you enforced the “No Smoking in Company Vehicles” law?

Is waste sorted and stored by type, clearly marked and regularly removed?

Do you keep copies of “Waste Transfer Notices” from waste removal contractor?

Do you have the correct amount of toilet facilities for the number of staff at work and for each sex?

Do you have/need shower facilities?

Do you have suitable rest and eating facilities at work for your workforce to sit and eat their food away from their workstation/tools/equipment/materials etc?

Have arrangements been set up to keep these facilities clean and tidy?

Is it avoided wherever possible, otherwise done from a safe platform such as a scaffold or scaffold tower?

Are ladders only used for short duration works?