Below are some selected NVQ Level 7 Construction Senior Management questions and answers.
1.4 Explain ways that the culture of health, safety and welfare can be promoted and encouraged.
Regular TBTs, Monthly H & S bulletins read to and understood by the workforce and displayed on site notice boards, signage and site notice boards, morning briefings, weekly site meetings communicating throughout the day with the site team. Site-specific inductions to be given and understood by all.
1.5 Explain how opportunities to improve health, safety and welfare could be identified and how appropriate recommendations can be made.
Near-miss information is passed on to site teams from across the business to help identify possible trends or areas that require improvement globally within the business.
The workforce should be encouraged to report unsafe work not to blame people but to educate and learn from past events to help create a safer working environment in the future.
A permit-to-work system is to be used to help identify risks and inform all involved of any potential hazards.
Welfare facilities are provided to be respected and kept tidy by all who use them.
1.6 Outline who the promotion of a health, safety and welfare culture should be aimed at.
Everyone involved in the project should be aware of health and safety and welfare requirements.
2.4 Describe how, and to whom health, safety and welfare responsibilities should be allocated.
Health, safety and welfare responsibilities should be explained to all team members to help reduce any breach of health, safety and welfare requirements. A team member should be selected to carry out inspections and report any defects or unsafe conditions immediately.
2.5 Explain methods and techniques of conducting site inductions and list typical subject areas that should be covered.
All team members are inducted prior to being allowed to carry out any works or enter site.
Site inductions should include site-specific rules and safety, emergency procedures and locations of muster points and any emergency equipment such as fire extinguishers, first aid facilities and who the site first aider/s are, directions to local hospitals, fire stations and police stations. Site welfare facilities and how to access the welfare and routes to use to access/egress site including traffic routes, speed limits, pedestrian walkways and crossing points. Any site-specific hazards. What the minimum PPE requirement is and any areas of site that require specific PPE to be worn.
2.6 Explain how and why site inductions can consistently inform people of their responsibilities.
Site induction explains and makes people aware of their health, safety and welfare responsibilities while on site not only to themselves but to everyone on site.
3.3 List the types of notices and hazard warnings that apply to relevant work areas and explain how to ensure that they comply with current legislation.
Site notice boards should be displayed in a dominant position on site such as the canteen or site office. They should be clearly visible and displayed in an easy-to-understand manner to avoid any confusion. They should display F10 Notification, Employers insurances, H & S bulletins, H&S at work Law Poster, H&S guidance.
Mandatory PPE signage on access points to site.
Deep excavations
Overhead Cable ‘goal posts’
Pedestrian walkways
Site traffic routes and mandatory speed limits.
Legislation updates via email from H&S consultant and HSE updates via their website/alerts.
3.4 Explain ways that accurate and appropriate notices and hazard warnings for the workforce, visitors and the public can be maintained.
Signage to be clearly displayed and visible to everyone, signage should be positioned where damage is less likely to occur and signage and notices should be guarded against bad weather. Regular checks of signage should be carried out and any damaged signage should be replaced or repaired
3.5 Give reasons why accurate and appropriate notices should be relevant, correctly placed and maintained, and explain possible consequences should they not be.
Relevant and correct notices and signage should be correctly placed and maintained so they inform people correctly of possible dangers and instructions. If signage is damaged and not repaired or replaced or is incorrectly positioned this could cause a potential danger causing accidents.
4.4 Describe the types of health, safety and welfare equipment and resources that would be needed for relevant work activities.
Fire extinguishers, fire alarm, permit for hot works, after works completed fire watch.
First aid room, first aid kit and eye wash station and first aider – for all work activities
Spill Kits and trays available
Mandatory PPE and task specific PPE such as dust mask, goggles, ear defenders, fall arrest system.
Warm water, soap, eating area, chairs to sit down, clean drinking water
4.5 Explain ways of ensuring that health, safety and welfare equipment and resources are available and sufficient for the project.
Equipment should be supplied in line with the number of operatives on site. Equipment should be checked and maintained in good working order and records kept of inspections and any equipment replaced or repaired the equipment register updated.
4.6 Explain how to ensure that health, safety and welfare equipment and resources comply with current legislation.
Keeping up to date with current legislation and any changes via the internet and safety alerts. Company SHEQ manager site visits and keeping site managers and supervisors up to date with current legislation and site comply with current regulations.
5.4 Explain how systems which meet current legislation requirements for identifying and reducing hazards should be implemented.
Hard Arm and Whole Body Vibration can cause irreversible health implications. Any work involving equipment which causes vibration should be recorded on a HAV’s register and the operative made aware of how long the equipment can be used for. If the operation takes longer than the allowed trigger time then operatives should be rotated regularly to avoid any potential risk to health. If possible anti-vibration tools should be used or remotely operated tools should be used to complete avoid exposure to vibration.
5.5 Explain methods that can be used to implement systems that can report and record accidents, emergencies and near misses.
All near misses and accidents should be recorded in the correct way and reported as required by the current regulations. Meetings and TBTs can be used to inform workers of good practices and explain ways of reducing potential accidents and hazards. It is important that the workforce understands the importance of reporting near misses and accidents to help spot trends or reoccurring incidents so measures can be put in place as necessary to stop dangerous events and occurrences in the future.
5.6 Explain ways of maintaining the welfare of people in accordance with current legislation requirements.
Material, operative and plant segregation and walkways storage areas and traffic routes clearly marked with correct signage and walkways and traffic routes are kept clear and tidy at all times.
Good housekeeping is to be discussed in meetings and TBTs and site induction
Workers should be able to report misuse use of welfare facilities in confidence.
Daily checks to walkways, storage areas, excavations TM etc. to be carried out by an appointed team member and recorded in the respective registers.
6.3 Explain relevant methods that can ensure hazards are fully identified.
Risk Assessments briefed to and understood by operatives.
Site drawings
Signage and notice boards
Site induction
TBT’
6.4 Describe methods and techniques that allow further information about hazards to be obtained.
Method statements and risk assessments are briefed to the workforce and fully understood.
Hazards are identified and assessed and as much information as possible with regard to locations, levels and type of hazard supplied to the workforce. Ongoing training in the correct use of equipment particularly new or unfamiliar equipment.
6.5 Explain the methods and factors that determine the significance of hazards.
Manufacturers’ instructions and guidance can be used to identify hazards.
Any hazards identified need to be assessed as to how and why they may cause harm and precautions briefed to the workforce and implemented.
7.4 Describe methods that allow residual risks to be identified.
Manufacturers’ instructions and guidance will identify any hazards with the material or equipment. All recommended safeguards must be used and inspected to protect the user from the hazard. Any guidance on disposal must be adhered to.
7.5 Explain ways of applying the principles of prevention to identified relevant and significant hazards.
Risks must be assessed and presented in a risk assessment which must be briefed to the workforce and fully understood. A method statement should be in place and briefed and fully understood by the workforce. The methodology should explain to the workforce how to work safely. Any new procedures, equipment or material must be briefed in its use via TBTs.
7.6 Explain how risks can be reduced and ways that information can be provided to appropriate people.
Risks can be reduced by TBTs presented to all involved.
Training given to the workforce
Use manufacturer instructions and guidance
8.4 Explain methods and/or procedures used to regularly monitor health, safety and welfare systems.
Ensuring any hazard created are managed correctly and that the workforce understands they have a responsibility to manage any risk that they create and if procedures are not adhered to, it could lead to action being taken against them. Daily checks are carried out and recorded by the individual who is trained in the use of the equipment. Site safety tours are carried out and recorded on a regular basis and any non-conformances are reported to the appropriate persons.
