Health and safety covers the legal duties and practical measures that protect people from harm at work, including employers, employees, landlords, tenants and members of the public. Surveyors can advise all parties on their legal responsibilities, from gas safety to lone working.
In UK construction the main framework is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), which place duties on the client, designers, the principal designer, the principal contractor and contractors. For the QS, health and safety has direct cost and commercial implications:
- site set up, welfare, temporary works and safety measures are priced in the preliminaries;
- the client must allow sufficient time and resources for the project to be delivered safely;
Cutting safety allowances to reduce a tender price is a false economy and may put the client in breach of its duties under CDM 2015.
Related terms: CDM Regulations, Principal Contractor, Principal Designer, Preliminaries.
