Unit 201: Health and safety in building services

engineering

Outcome 1
Health and safety legislation
Why is health and safety so
important?
Warning: some of the following images show graphic
details of injuries sustained in the workplace.
Health and Safety at Work Act
1974
• Principle piece of legislation
• Lays down the requirements for the management of
health and safety at work.

All people at work:

o Employers
o Employees
o self-employed
o general public

People and activities – not premises and processes.

 Health and Safety at Work Act
1974
Main objectives

1. Health and safety of all people at work.

2. Protect others from risks at work.
3. Control dangerous substances.
4. Control dangerous emissions.

The main people responsible at work are the employer

and employee.
Health and Safety at Work Act
1974
It makes health, safety and welfare everyone’s
responsibility. The local authority and the HSE work
closely together.

Employers have responsibility to provide personal

protective equipment (PPE) – hard hats, gloves, eye
protection etc.

A Health and Safety Policy must be produced if a

company employs five or more people.
Health and Safety at Work Act
1974
The duties of the employee are:
•To take reasonable care of the health and safety of self
and others
•To comply with the employer’s health and safety policy
•To not recklessly interfere with anything that may affect
health and safety.

Employers can be prosecuted under the Health and

Safety Act.
 Health and Safety at Work Act
1974
Enforcement

Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

HSE officers inspect sites:

• Guidance, advice, photos, samples, talk

• Informal action – advise
• Improvement notice – specific action (what, why and
when)
• Prohibition notice – serious risk (stop until)
• Prosecution – failure.
 Other legislation
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations
• For construction industry
• Improve planning and management of projects
• Identify hazards early on, to eliminate or reduce them
• Target effort where it would be beneficial
• Also governs welfare on site (WC and washrooms)
• Appoint a CDM co-ordinator
• CDM will also make sure the main contractor provides
the welfare facilities on site.

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations

• The correct provision and monitoring of PPE.
 Other legislation
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations
• COSHH
• Protection against illness caused by hazardous
substances
• Risk assess
• Implement precautions
• Prevent, control and monitor exposure
• Training and leaflets.

COSHH information is found on the data sheet, as well as

any container.
 Other legislation
The Electricity at Work Regulations
Legal responsibility on employers and employees to ensure
fixed and portable electrical equipment is tested and
maintained.

• Inspections on equipment – safe to use

• Competent
• Cables and connections
• Earth continuity
• Fuse
• Insulation
• PAT testing (every three months)
• Labels to prove.
 Other legislation
The Work at Heights Regulations
• Applies to all work at height when
there is a risk of falling
• Guards and fall arresters
• Harnesses
• Planning
• Risk assess
• Equipment inspections.
 Other legislation
Manual Handling Operations Regulations
• Lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling and carrying
• Risk assess
• Planning
• Employees have responsibility to use
mechanical aids.
 Other legislation
The Safety Signs and Signals Regulations
• Whenever and wherever there is a risk.

The Control of Lead at Work Regulations

• Any work that exposes a person to lead – ingested,
inhaled, absorbed
• PPE
• Training and information.

The Control of Asbestos Regulations

• Prohibits the use of asbestos
• Asbestos may be left in situ, if in good condition and
labelled.
 Other legislation
Building Services Specific Legislation
(Water, gas, electricity, heating and ventilation, and
telecommunication)

The Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999

• Drinking water (contamination, waste, undue consumption,
misuse and erroneous measurement).
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
• Installation, maintenance and use of gas
• Prevent CO poisoning.
The 17th Edition IEE Regulations (BS7671)
• Design, installation, inspection and maintenance of
electrical installations.
 Other legislation
Provision & Use of Work Equipment Regulations
• PUWER
• All hand and power tools – competent person
• Guards and protection.

Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations

• Site access and walkways
• Site mess huts, changing facilities, drying facilities
• Number of toilet facilities.

Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations

• Adequate first aid facilities and competent person
• Any van on site must have a first aid kit.
 Competent person
A person who has been trained, assessed and gained a
certificate to prove competency.
• Cartridge fixing device
• Unvented installation
• Local authority installation
• Site vehicles
• First aid.

If you are using any specialist piece of equipment on site,

training must have been completed, and you must have
been proved competent, or you must be in possession of a
certificate which denotes you as a certified operative.
Unit 201: Health and safety in building services
engineering

Outcome 2
How to handle hazardous
situations
Trip

Slip Dust
Fumes Sparks

Uneven surface
 Fire
hazards
Bad
house-
keeping

Incorrect manual handling

 Chemical
storage

Damaged
tools

Working at
heights
A work method statement
(sometimes referred to as a safe
work method statement) or a
safety procedure, is part of a
workplace safety plan.
It is mainly used in construction
to describe a document giving
specific instructions on how to
safely perform a work-related
task, or operate equipment.

May also include a hot work

permit or other permits to work.
 Safety signs
What are the four colours of safety signs?

What are the categories of safety signs?

Prohibition Warning Mandatory Information

 Prohibition signs
Do not drink

Do not touch

No naked flames

No access for pedestrians

 Warning signs
Corrosive material

Danger electricity

Flammable materials

Obstacles
 Mandatory signs
Safety boots must be worn

Eye protection must be worn

Pedestrians must walk this way

Hard hats must be worn

 Emergency signs
Emergency exit route

Emergency eye wash

First aid

Emergency telephone
 COSHH
Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

These regulations were introduced to control exposure to

hazardous substances.

• Solids, liquids, dust, fumes, vapours, gases etc.

• Risk Assess
• Precautions
• Control measures
• Monitor
• Training and information
• COSHH data can be found on any container, as well as
the data sheet.
A COSHH folder needs to be kept. COSHH categories:

TOXIC – Poisons

HARMFUL

CORROSIVE – severe burns

IRRITANT – inflammation

OXIDISING – induces burning

EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE (eg LPG)

Remember: some domestic items can have hazards.

• Loft insulation can be an irritant to the skin

• Domestic cleaning chemicals that are either acid or alkali
can be corrosive and burn the skin.

The rule is that any item with a COSHH means you

need to wear gloves to protect your hands.
Take care with:
Cutting
oils

Solvents
 Risk assess
A risk assessment needs to be completed:
• To back up the manufacturer’s data sheet for COSH
• To assess various activities carried out by employees.

As a plumber, you have to assess the risk to yourself and

others when work is carried out. So this becomes the
heart of work safety.

A risk assessment will – quite often – result in the use of

PPE and the presence of a first aid kit.
 Risk assess
There are five steps to risk assessments:
1. Look for hazards.
2. Decide who or what might be harmed.
3. Evaluate the risks, present precautions and take action
when needed.
4. Record your findings.
5. Review and revise your findings regularly.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations

1999 legally require employers to make decisions about the
hazards, significant or not, faced in the workplace.
 Risk assess
Key definitions:

Accident: an unplanned, undesired occurrence which may

result in harm or loss
Hazard: anything that has a potential to cause loss or harm
Risk: how likely it is that a hazard will actually cause harm
or loss.

When a risk assessment is put together, you have to identify

the work hazard and weigh it up against the likelihood of an
accident happening.
 Risk assess
Risk element:

Value of likelihood Value of consequence

No likelihood 0 No injury or loss 0
Very unlikely 1 First aid 1
Unlikely 2 Up to 3 days off work 2
Likely 3 Over 3 days off work 3
Very likely 4 Major injury 4
Certainty 5 Fatality 5

These assessments will always be looked for by the HSE

officer on an inspection, or by the insurance
company, should a claim be submitted.
Risk assess
 Lead
As part of your job you may have to carry out lead work:
lead is highly toxic and heavy.

Absorption : touch
Ingestion: mouth
Inhalation: breathing

Take care over the central nervous system and kidneys:

Always wear barrier cream and weld in well-ventilated
areas.
 Lead

• Risk assess
• Systems of work
• Washing facilities
• Training
• PPE
• Measure exposure
• Blood tests.
 Fluxes
Fluxes are used daily by plumbers to help solder to
adhere to copper tube, but the fumes from soldering are
dangerous.
 Solvents
Different solvents are used by plumbers to join
components together.

Care should be taken when joining PVCu pipes in

confined spaces when using solvents, due to the
vapours given off.
 Asbestos
Asbestos at Work Regulations:
It is a chrysotile material: blue, brown and white.

Asbestos work should be

carried out by a specialist
licensed company, which has a
workforce trained in this area.

Video link:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/videos/cmorganlong.htm
 Asbestos
Asbestos is dangerous to health, and failure to wear
proper protective equipment can lead to chronic
illnesses. Plumbers must be aware of properties built
before 1980 – insulation, soffits and facias.

Any asbestos waste should be double-bagged, sealed,

labelled and put into lockable containers.
 Asbestos
If asbestos is thought to be on site, you stop
work and inform your supervisor.
• 7kg rule on domestic waste
• Mesothelioma is cancer of the lining of the lungs
 Asbestos
Asbestos is sometimes identified by it being a fibrous
cement material found in older buildings.

If it is disturbed and the needles become airborne, the risk

of breathing the particles in is high.

The golden rule: do not disturb asbestos and leave alone.

If the needles enter the body, it can lead to long-term
illness.
 Asbestos
If you come across any material that you think may be
asbestos, you have to stop work and ask your supervisor
for advice.

Other than minor work on asbestos – like a small gasket –

asbestos has to be disposed of by a licensed contractor,
as the disposal is regulated by the Control of Asbestos
Regulations.

Double-bagged and labelled.

 Personal Protective Equipment
PPE
• Provided by employer
• Designed to protect against hazards.
 PPE
Personal Protective Equipment is to be provided and
worn at work whenever there is a risk to health and
safety. Self-employed people also have a duty to obtain
and wear PPE.
Eye protection should be worn to conform to the Eye
Protection Regulations 1974.
Head and neck protection should be worn to conform
to the Construction Head Protection Regulations 1989.
Risk to breathing with hazards from dust, vapour,
noxious gases, oxygen-deficient air – solid fuel boilers.
 PPE
Risk to body from heat, adverse weather, splashes,
leaks and general knocks.
Risk to hands from abrasion, heat, cuts, punctures,
impact, chemicals, electric shocks.
Risk to feet from slipping, falling objects, chemicals,
heat.
Risk to ears from noise. A level of 85dB is set in the
Noise at Work Regulations 1989 – noise level is
measured in dB (decibels).
 PPE
If working in sewers, Weil’s disease can
be caught from rats, so wear gloves.
Occasionally, air samples may have to be taken.
When lead burning, use barrier cream,
gloves and goggles with point of use
extraction, to protect against noxious fumes.
If copper pipe bending around your knee,
your knee will need additional protection
against damage.
 PPE
Think about various plumbing situations:

•Moving loft insulation to find pipes

Gloves and dust mask
•Creating dust when using a hand-held concrete grinder
Respirator and goggles
•Using a pneumatic drill to chase a wall for pipes
Ear defenders
•Drilling a hole to put some clips up
Goggles
•Working near to moving traffic
High visibility jacket
•The main responsibility for wearing PPE is the employee’s
 Manual handling
Part of the COSHH procedure is the area of manual
handling. Before you lift an item correctly, consider:

• Can the load be lifted safely without exceeding the

maximum load from the given position?
• Can a mechanical aid eliminate the risk of injury?
• Is the route clear of obstructions? Plan the route.
• Is any specialist training required to lift this?
• Have I read the risk assessment documentation
regarding this item?
 Manual handling
All plumbing activities that use mechanical lifting
equipment are covered by the Lifting Operations and
Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998.

If an item or object is too heavy or unstable, always use

a mechanical lifting aid.

You can lift an object as a team with an identified leader.

The team should be made up of people similar in height
and strength.
Manual handling
Manual handling

Kinetic
lifting
 Manual handling
Always risk assess before you lift. Even if your supervisor
asks you to carry a heavy object from a van, ask for help or
use a mechanical lifting aid.

If a customer asks you to lift an item outside for them, you

may have to wait for some help.
 Manual handling
There are numerous pieces of small lifting equipment
available for plumbers:

City and Guilds 6035

Level 2 Unit 201
 RIDDOR
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases or Dangerous
Occurrences Regulations
If a worker is off work for seven or more days due to a
workplace accident, it has to be reported to the HSE.

All minor accidents are logged in the accident book.

• Human error
• Forgetfulness
• Ignorance
• Recklessness
• Neglect
 RIDDOR
With RIDDOR, all fatal accidents have to be reported
immediately so the HSE and police might be involved.

If a worker is seriously injured, this has to be reported

within 15 days.

If a worker is off work for five or more days, this too has to
be reported.
 First aid
Immediate and appropriate action prior to emergency
personnel arriving.

Health and Safety Regulations:

• Adequate equipment
• Adequate facilities
• Appointed person
No medicines to be kept in first aid box.

Plumbers are likely to incur minor injuries:

• Minor cuts
• Minor burns
• Grit or dust in eyes
• Exposure to fumes.
 First aid
Minor cuts: cleaned thoroughly, stem bleeding with
bandage or plaster.
Burns: cool area with cold, running water for about 10
minutes.
Objects in eyes: potential damage to eye. Wash loose
bits. Do not remove objects that have penetrated eye.
Exposure to fumes: care that you do not become
affected by fumes. Ventilation and fresh air, recovery
position, CPR.
Serious injuries: simple or compound fractures.
Support area.
Unconscious: check breathing; recovery position, if
victim is feeling faint. Stop from falling.
 First aid
Electric shock: be careful – isolate source or remove
from source, remove victim, check breathing, CPR.
CPR: keep blood circulating until emergency
services arrive.
Recovery position: best position for unconscious
victim.

•Raise alarm
•Dial 999 and ask for particular service
•State location and situation
•Colleague to wait at entrance
•Always stay with victim.
 First aid
If there is a very serious injury or fatality at work, the
emergency services must be called straight away.
• Loss of limb
• Fall from height
• Major burn
• Being trapped
 First aid
Chronic illness: long-term, more serious condition that
could, but not always, end in death.

Acute illness: rapid onset of a condition that may be

curable.
 Fire evacuation
In the case of a fire:

1. Sound the alarm.

2. Call 999.
3. Evacuate building.
4. Only deal with small fire if safe to do so
5. Meet at assembly point.
6. Role call.

It is the responsibility of each employee to follow the

emergency procedure should a situation arise.
 Unit 201: Health and safety in building services
engineering

Outcome 3
Electrical safety requirements
 Electrical supply
Electricity at Work Regulations
B7671

AC operating Voltage Use

Voltage colour
25V Violet Damp conditions
50V White Damp conditions
110V Yellow General site voltage
230V Blue Domestic and site offices
400V Red Fixed machinery
 Site electricity
• Battery operated
• 110v single phase ac (site)
• 230v single phase ac can
• Use a step-down transformer.
 Beware of

Beware of Electrical hazards storing cable

correctly
hidden conduit Beware of
in brickwork chafing cable

Beware of
melting cable Beware of
with heated hidden cables
tube in walls and
Beware of floors
exposed wires

Beware of
damage to Beware of
power tool cables when
City and Guilds 6035
Level 2 Unit 201 casing soldering
 Electrical hazards
• Faulty installations
• Faulty equipment
• Misuse
• Trailing, buried, hidden – or cables too close to pipework
• Incorrect fuse
• Overloading sockets
• Neglect
• Wet conditions.
 Electrical checks
Visually inspect:
• Cables
• Casing
• Lead condition
• Length of leads
• Use a cable finder
• Take care when lifting floorboards
• Report to supervisor
• PAT test label
• Double insulated
• RCD for 230v.
 Electrical safe isolation
All electrical circuits must be properly switched off,
isolated, labelled, locked off and proven dead.

• Identify circuit or appliance

• Check with customer before isolating
• Select voltage indicator and test
• Prove circuit is live
• Pull fuse or switch off MCB
• Lock and label
• Prove circuit is dead
• Test voltage indicator
• Start work.
 Electrical safety
• Whenever you cut or remove a section of pipe always
use temporary continuity bonds
• Two crocodile clips joined with 10mm2 earth cable.
When used, these prevent electric shocks if there is
a fault.
 Unit 201: Health and safety in building services
engineering

Outcome 4
Safety requirements for working
with gases and heat producing
equipment
 Gases

Bottle gas Cylinder colour Thread

direction

Propane Red Left hand

Butane Blue Left hand

MAPP (mix) Yellow Left hand

Acetylene Maroon Left hand

Oxygen Black Right hand

 Oxyacetylene equipment
• Main control valve
• Pressure regulator
• Gauges
• Flashback arrestor
• Hoses
• Torch
• Torch control valve
• Nozzle.
 LPG equipment
• Liquefied Petroleum Gas: a group of gases that
includes propane and butane
• Highly flammable when mixed correctly with air
• Heavier than air
• Propane turns from liquid to gas at -420C
• If drawn off too quickly, the valves can freeze
• Used and stored in well-ventilated and signed areas
• CO2 can build up in confined spaces
• When in use, a CO2 fire extinguisher must be present.
 Gas equipment
Visually inspect equipment:

• Damage to hoses
• Damage to valves
• Damage to gauges
• Damage to threaded connectors
• Leak detection fluid on joints.
 Gas
Store the cylinder upright, outside, in a well-ventilated
lockable store, with labels.

• If transporting gas, keep cylinders upright with

ventilation, in an enclosed vehicle, and label on outside
• If transporting quantities of gas, the driver must be in
possession of a Tremcard. Covered by Carriage of
Dangerous Goods by Road Regulations.
 Dangers
• LPG in cellars
• Stored near drain entrances
• Flammable
• Flames in loft areas – dust and insulation
• Build up of CO2 or CO in confined spaces
• Burns to property and persons – nozzle and component
• Cold burns from valve and cylinder
• Leaks.
 Fires
Fire is one of the most destructive elements.

Combustion is a chemical reaction with oxygen ie:

Fuel + oxygen + heat = fire

Propane + oxygen + spark = flame
 Fires
Class A Solids – wood, paper, plastic

Class B Flammable liquids – oil, paraffin

Class C Flammable gases – LPG, natural gas

Class D Metals – aluminium, magnesium

Class E Electrical

Class F Cooking oils and fats

Fire extinguishers

Care should also be

taken when using
CO2 extinguishers in
an enclosed space –
asphyxiation
 Fire extinguishers

RED WATER A

CREAM FOAM A& B

BLUE POWDER B & Elec

BLACK CO2 Elec

 Fires
• Carry a dry powder or CO2 extinguisher when soldering
• Use a heatproof mat next to building fabrics (resistant)
• Move furniture away from soldering area
• Do not point a blowtorch directly at combustible material
• When soldering under a suspended floor, check for
anything that could catch fire
• Do not replace floorboards until you have inspected for
smouldering under the boards
• When lead welding on a roof, damp off the substrate
• Stop soldering an hour before you leave.
Unit 201: Health and safety in building services
engineering

Outcome 5
Safety requirements for using
access equipment
Working and heights
• Step ladders
• Ladders
• Roof ladders
• Trestle scaffold
• Tower scaffold (mobile)
• Scaffold (fixed)
• Elevated platforms
 Working and heights
The Working at Height Regulations requires that before
work starts:

Employers consider all options that are available,

including options other than working at heights;
removing components and working at ground level; using
specialist companies.
 Ladders
Class 1 – Industrial – up to 175kg

Class 2 – Commercial – up to 150kg

Class 3 – Domestic – up to 125kg

Manufactured from wood, aluminium, fibreglass

(electricians colour-coded yellow).

Ladders are for short duration work only – 30 mins max.

 Ladders

Video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=bRV4d9LCawU
 Ladders
• Types
• Raising and lowering
• Securing
• Lifting and carrying
• Storing
• Inspecting
• Safe working.
 Ladders
• Stand on a firm and even base
• Set at the correct angle, 750 or 4 up: 1 out
• Watch out for overhead cables
• Beware of wet, icy or greasy rungs
• Do not use damaged ladders
• Lash the top of the ladder
• Anchor the base of the ladder
• The top of the ladder should extend 1.07m past the top
of the working platform (4-5 rungs clear)
• Never overload a ladder.
 Scaffolds
Scaffold towers

Static:
• Small section of tubular scaffold in fixed position.

Mobile:
• Light work for short durations
• Lockable wheel
• Do not move with equipment or people still on platform
• Maximum height is three times the outrigger
• Always read the manufacturer’s instructions (MIs).
Scaffolds
 Scaffolds
Fixed scaffold (tubular)

Independent:
• It is independent to the building with two standards.

Putlog:
• Gains support from building and is used on new builds
• The spade of the putlog rests in the brickwork.
 Scaffolds
Scaffolds from
Singapore and India
Scaffolds
 Scaffolds
• Working platform
• Toe board – 150mm
• Interim guard – 470mm
• Hand rail – 910mm
• Brick guards
• Close board decking
• Soleplate to spread force
• Inspect before use each time; fully inspected every
seven days; installed by trained operatives.
 Mobile platforms
Mobile Elevating Work Platforms

These provide convenient access without scaffolding.

• Training is essential
• Gate closed
• Operating weights
• Weather
• Stability
• Signs.
 Unit 201: Health and safety in building services
engineering

Outcome 6
Safety requirements for working
safely in excavations and
confined spaces
 Trenches and excavations
Working in trenches is limited for plumbers, but sometimes
it may be required on construction sites. The danger comes
from collapse and falling objects.

• Planned
• Managed
• Supervised
 Trenches and excavations
Excavations deeper than 1.2m must be supported.

• Ground type
• Ladder access
• Spoil stored away from edge
• Trench side must have barrier
• Vehicle stops
• LPG prohibited
• Emergency exit ladder
• Warning notices.
 Trenches and excavations
When you are digging and excavating, even to install an
incoming water main, always check the type of ground that
is being dug.

• Clay tends to be more firm

• Sandy soil tends to collapse more easily.

If the ground is soft, the sides of the excavation can be

sloped.
Safety first
 Excavations
Rainwater harvesting systems:

• Sewers
• Drains
• Incoming water mains
• Ground source heat pumps
• Wells
• Plant rooms.
 Confined spaces
• Flues
• Duct work
• Roof areas
• Sewers
• Under floors.
 Confined spaces
Dangers

• Claustrophobia
• Lack of oxygen
• Collapse
• Build-up of fumes/vapours
• Fire and explosion
• Hot work conditions
• Flooding.
 Confined spaces
Dangers

Working under a suspended floor in a domestic property

has varied dangers:

• Stuck/trapped
• Fire risk if soldering
• Fume risk if soldering
• Vermin/insects
• Dust
• Sharp objects.
 Confined spaces
A confined space is a place which is substantially enclosed
(though not always entirely), and where serious injury can
occur from hazardous substances or conditions within the
space, or nearby (eg lack of oxygen).

The safety of personnel is important, so a suitable

emergency escape route must always be maintained, and
communication with people outside must always be held.
 Confined spaces
• Training
• No lone working
• Correct PPE
• Lighting
• Ventilation
• Awareness of situation and hazards.