Safe Systems of Work (SSoW)

 

The Health & Safety at Work Act part 1 section 2 (2) (a) states that it is a duty of an employer to “Provide and maintain plant and systems of work that are, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health or safety”

Safe Systems of Work – what are they?

 

A SSoW is generally accepted to be a formal procedure, which results from systematic examination of a task in order to identify all the hazards. It defines safe methods to ensure that hazards are eliminated or risks minimised.

 

There are two principle aims:

1.        To provide sufficient knowledge to the employees on how they can carry out the work safely

2.        To provide a quality plan to ensure that the work is carried out in the way it was intended

Components of a SSoW

 

The components of a safe system of work would typically include the nature of the work, the materials being used, the people involved in carrying out the work, any plant or equipment that is required and finally the task to be carried out coupled with the specific environment.

It must have a logical well-thought out approach, and should fully identify and document all the hazards, safety precautions and safe working practices associated with all the activities performed by operatives.

 

When is a SSoW Required?

 

There are many hazards that are clearly recognisable and can be overcome by physically separating people from them e.g. by using guarding on machinery. A SSoW is needed when hazards cannot be physically eliminated and some element of risk remains. Remember to include non-routine work as well as normal operations.

Designing a SSoW

 

There are 5 steps to designing a SSoW:

1.        Assess the task

2.        Identify the hazards

3.        Define safe methods and control measures

4.       Implement the system

5.        Monitor the system

1. Assessing the Task

 

Assess all aspects of the task and its risks. When doing this consider health hazards as well as safety be mindful to take account of:

·         What is material or products are used

·         Who does what and their competence

·         Where the task is carried out

·         How the task is done

2. Identify the Hazards

 

Spot the hazards, evaluate the risks and where possible eliminate hazards before you rely upon a SSoW. The Construction, Design and Management Regulations 2007 require a design risk assessment to be carried out to ensure that the structure being designed can be built, maintained and demolished safely.

3. Define Safe Methods

 

Define by written procedures or by permits to work. When doing this involve the people who will be doing the work - their practical knowledge of problems can help avoid unusual risks and prevent false assumptions being made.

4. Implement the System

 

Safe system of work must be communicated properly, understood by the operatives and applied correctly. You should ensure that supervisors know they are responsible for the implementation and maintenance of the system of work. You must ensure adequate training is carried out for employees and supervisors.

 

When implementing the SSoW, stress the need to avoid short cuts - part of the system should be to stop work when faced with an unexpected problem until a safe solution can be found.

5. Monitoring the System

 

The SSoW must be periodically checked to ensure that the employees continue to find the system workable, that the procedures laid down are being carried out effectively and that any changes in circumstances which require alterations to the system of work are taken into account.

Summary

 

·         SSoW are required by law

·         Some risks are clear and can be overcome

·         Look at every job - think about what is used, who does what, where and how it is done

·         Give employees clear directions on how the job must be done

·         When job is complex or risks are high, put instructions in writing

·         Make sure the system is supervised

At Mabey Hire Services our Safe Systems of Work for our on site installation teams have evolved over a number of years and generally follow the template below:

1.              An introduction

This basically states who we are, our recognition of our duties under the CDM Regulations 2007 and that the work will be carried out accordingly and that no variations or deviations to the planned sequence will of works will be taken without prior consultation and agreement between all parties concerned.

2.             Project details

 This would include but not be limited to:

·         Location

·         Nature of works

·         Phasing of works

·         Resources

·         Site Personnel:

•     Visiting staff
•      Plant and Equipment provided by ourselves
•     Plant and Equipment provided by the Client or Principle Contractor

3.             Construction Sequence

Often called the “method statement”, this section details how the works will be assembled including the plant or equipment to be used. It will also include 'hold' points.  These are typically potentially dangerous situations were all parties concerned must be sure that all precautions have been taken and all risk eliminated so far as is reasonably practicable. This would typically include lift plans for cranes, permits to work in place, inspections etc.

 

4.             Facilities to be provided by the principle/main contractor

This section deals with our expectation of what we require from our client. This varies considerably from site to site but a minimum requirement would be:

·       Suitable roadways for articulated/rigid vehicles to gain access to and from the public highway and onto the site.

·       Provision of suitable areas to store and assemble equipment, adjacent to the work site - The areas should be reasonably level, clear of obstruction, clear of mud and should be of adequate size.

·       Suitable and sufficient welfare and first-aid facilities.

·       Measures to ensure that the construction area is free from all other personnel not immediately involved in the Mabey Hire Services Ltd. construction works.

Assessment of the site in accordance with C.O.S.H.H. regulations, any substances hazardous to health should be notified to Mabey Hire Services in time for suitable precautions to be made.

5.             General Safety

This section gives the companies expectation of minimum standards that will be met by our site labour force and site management who are working in accordance with our Health & Safety Policy.

6.                   Lift Plans

We undertake to plan all lifts using an appointed person in accordance with BS7121. The lifts are then detailed on a drawing which will typically show the size and weight of the lift, the position of the crane and the radii and the outrigger loadings. Lifts are managed on site with a trained Lift Supervisor.

7.             Site Specific Risk Assessment

The aim of this is to highlight particular elements of the work that are NOT covered by standard (generic) risk assessments because they are specific to the manner in which the work is being carried out, the arrangement of the site and our clients own site rules. It consider what the hazards may be, what risk is associated with the hazard, what control measures are required to reduce the risk to an acceptable level and the residual risk after the control measures have been applied.

 

8.                Requirements for induction

This section is where our site crews are given an induction by our site management after being inducted by our client. There would be a sign off sheet to confirm attendance and acknowledgement of the briefing.

9.             Generic Risk Assessment

This section deals with the risk assessment of our works on site based on the product being used and the nature of the work. This is used in conjunction with the site-specific risk assessment which is tailored to meet the individual site.

The format of this SSoW is specific to the type of work we carry out on site with our site erection crews. You must decide yourself on the suitability of any SSoW that you adopt and ensure that it covers the methods of working and nature of risks applicable to your work.