Construction Site Safety

• Safety Assurance
• Managers, Supervisors, and Quality and Safety Inspectors
  Throughout all phases of construction, managers, supervisors, project managers, construction inspectors, construction safety engineers, and other personnel overseeing construction must monitor field activities frequently to ensure that they are conducted in a safe fashion. They must ensure that appropriate measures are taken to minimize the possibility of personal injury, damage to property, adverse effects to the environment, and program disruptions or delays resulting from accident or fires.

• The frequency of worksite reviews should depend on:
• The number and type of hazards involved (e.g., trenching and excavating, work at elevations, confined spaces);
• The total level of risk to the workforce, property, and the environment;
• The duration of the project;
• The time elapsed since the last fire, safety, or health inspection;
• The presence of qualified subcontractor safety and health personnel; and
• Previous experience with the subcontractor.

• Craft Personnel
• Employees working in construction are responsible for supporting their supervisor's safety efforts, participating in safety training, and conducting themselves in a manner consistent with the Laboratory's safety policy. They must ensure that the sites where they work and the activities they are engaged in are free of hazards. They are expected to stop work immediately if they perceive that continuation of their activities may result in serious bodily harm. All existing hazards must be immediately reported to their supervisor.

• LBNL Safety Responsibility to Construction Subcontractors:
• During the design phase of a construction project, LBNL will perform a hazard analysis to determine existing and potential hazards. The Laboratory will inform construction subcontractors, through the subcontract bid documents, of any serious or peculiar hazards encountered, and will continue to disclose any new hazards that might develop during the project duration.

• Daily Safety Inspections
• During periods of active work, project field supervisors and subcontractors' safety representatives must perform daily inspections of the operations, materials, and equipment on their projects; identify hazards; and take corrective actions to eliminate them. If immediate corrective action is not possible, they must notify affected workers, post warning signs, and take interim control measures. All inspections, findings, and corrective measures must be documented and be available for review by the Safety Engineer.

• Safety Oversight by the EH&S Division
• Inspections by the EH&S Division's authorized representatives, such as the Construction Safety Engineer, Industrial Hygienist, Fire Inspector, etc., will be made at any time to ensure compliance with applicable codes, standards, and regulations. All inspections must be documented, and project supervisors must be notified of findings. For subcontractors, violations must be reported to the Project Manager, Project Inspector, or Construction Safety Engineer, who will notify the construction subcontractor and verify corrections.
• Inspection of subcontractor's construction sites must be coordinated through the Project Manager or Project Inspector (see Section 10.8, Construction Site Access Control). When neither is available, the inspection may proceed without delay. However, the Project Manager and/or Project Inspector must be informed of the results promptly, so that any existing hazards can be addressed immediately.

• Abatement of Hazards
• Hazards must be abated as soon as possible. Imminent-hazard situations must be stopped and corrected immediately. Serious violations must be stopped and corrected within five days.
  LBNL project supervisors' and subcontractors' field representatives are responsible for abating hazards in their own sites; however, when a subcontractor fails to correct an existing violation, it becomes the responsibility of the project manager to enforce safety regulations and have the hazard removed.

• Safety Training
• LBNL project managers, project supervisors, trade supervisors, and subcontractors must either train or facilitate training in construction safety-hazard recognition for their employees. All training must be documented and records made available to the Construction Safety Engineer for review.
• Training should include as a minimum a safety orientation before starting work on a project, followed by weekly safety/toolbox meetings. In addition, as required by federal OSHA, specific training and certification must be provided for personnel who might be exposed to fall hazards in excess of six feet. Also, specific training must be provided for employees expected to perform work while on a scaffold. Persons responsible for erecting scaffolds, identifying fall hazards, or overseeing excavations must be trained to meet OSHA's definition of Competent Person before assuming that responsibility.

• The EH&S Division provides periodic training in construction-related subjects. For details on LBNL training policy and courses, see LBNL/PUB-3000, Chapter 24.