Principles of Construction Safety

The construction industry has not had a good record on health and safety and faces tough legal and financial penalties for breaches of the law.

This book provides a unique resource for all those who construct or procure the construction of projects of all sizes and in all countries and for clients who need to keep abreast of their own and their contractors' responsibilities.

It gives practical guidance on best practice, including:

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• measuring performance and recording information
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• developing a safety policy and method statements
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• assessing risk
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• training and understanding people
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• the basics of the construction/environment interface

The book addresses several topics not found in other reference works, discussing techniques of health and safety and basic environmental management as applied to the industry. It uniquely provides 50 quick reference guides setting out solutions to common problems. These include falls, manual and mechanical handling, work with asbestos and noise. It also summarises the main UK legal requirements on construction safety and health and includes a number of useful checklists and model forms.

Written by a very experienced health and safety practitioner, who is also author of the highly successful IOSH book Principles of Health and Safety at Work, this book will be welcomed by all responsible for health and safety. It will also provide an excellent text for the NEBOSH (National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) Construction Safety and Health national certificate.

Allan St John Holt has twice been elected to the Presidency of the UK’s professional body, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. He is a Fellow of the Institution and a Registered Safety Practitioner. An internationally-known lecturer and writer on safety management and other topics, he has presented seminars and featured as keynote speaker at conferences on every continent.

Allan Holt’s lifetime contribution to injury prevention was recognised in 1997, when he was inducted into the Safety and Health Hall of Fame International in Chicago, Illinois for services to international safety management. He is the only non-American to have been elected Chairman of the US National Safety Council’s Construction Section (1991) and he received the Council’s Distinguished Service to Safety Award in 2000.

His current position as Head of Safety at Royal Mail Group follows his previous position as Global Director of Environment, Health and Safety for Bovis Lend Lease. Allan Holt has served as a Justice of the Peace since 1987.