Programme overview
Technical depth: Practitioner · Practical mode: Inspection walkthrough
Introduction
Construction remains one of the most hazardous sectors, with falls, collapses, struck-by incidents and electrocution causing a disproportionate share of workplace fatalities. On busy projects, safety depends on duties shared across clients, designers, contractors and subcontractors, and the gaps between them are where incidents occur. This Core Concept course equips site and project managers to plan, control and inspect construction safety using ISO 45001 and the ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Construction. Participants carry out a site inspection walkthrough and leave with a Construction Phase HSE Plan for their own project.
Course Objectives
- Establish duty-holder roles for client, designer, principal contractor and subcontractors using the ILO construction code of practice
- Prepare and review risk assessments and method statements for high-risk construction activities
- Plan controls for excavation, site traffic, temporary works, electrical supplies and hazardous substances
- Manage contractor and subcontractor HSE performance through prequalification, monitoring and leading indicators
- Inspect a construction site systematically and turn findings into prioritised corrective actions
- Produce a Construction Phase HSE Plan for a live or upcoming project
Target Audience
- Construction and site managers accountable for safety on building and infrastructure projects
- Project and package managers responsible for contractor and subcontractor performance
- HSE managers and advisers supporting construction projects and site teams
- Client-side project and facilities managers overseeing contractors on their premises
- Design and engineering managers responsible for managing risk at the design stage
Course Outline
Day 1: Construction Safety Context and Site Risk Profile
- Construction Fatal Risk Categories and Serious Incident Patterns
- ILO Code of Practice on Safety and Health in Construction (2022): Duty Holder Roles
- ILO Convention C167 Principles for Client, Designer and Contractor Duties
- Prevention Through Design and the Design Risk Register
- Site Safety Maturity Baseline Using a Construction HSE Gap Checklist
Day 2: Construction Safety Management Frameworks
- ISO 45001 Applied to Project and Site Management Systems
- Construction Phase HSE Plan Structure and Content
- Hierarchy of Controls Applied to Construction Hazards
- Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS) Preparation and Review
- Contractor Prequalification and HSE Performance Evaluation Criteria
Day 3: Controlling High-Risk Site Activities
- Excavation Safety: Shoring, Battering and Underground Service Location
- Site Traffic Management Plan and Plant-Pedestrian Segregation
- Temporary Works Coordination and Design Check Categories
- Temporary Electrical Supplies and RCD Testing on Construction Sites
- Silica Dust and Hazardous Substance Exposure Control
Day 4: Site Risk, Assurance and Problem Cases
- Simultaneous Operations (SIMOPS) and Interface Risk Matrices
- Leading and Lagging Indicators for Site Safety Performance
- Subcontractor Chain Control and Workforce Competence Verification
- Behavioural Safety Observation and Stop-Work Authority Programmes
- Construction Incident Case Analysis: Trench Collapse and Struck-By Events
Day 5: Site Inspection Walkthrough and the Construction Phase Plan
- Site Safety Inspection Walkthrough Using a Scored Checklist
- Photo-Based Hazard Spotting Exercise: Multi-Storey Building Site
- Infrastructure Project Case: Roadworks Traffic and Excavation Controls
- Site Inspection Report and Corrective Action Tracker Drafting
- Construction Phase HSE Plan Build and Peer Review
Skills You Will Gain
- Construction Risk Assessment
- Method Statement Review
- Excavation Safety Control
- Site Traffic Management
- Temporary Works Coordination
- Contractor HSE Management
- Site Safety Inspection
- Safety Performance Measurement
Why Attend This Course
- Return to work with a Construction Phase HSE Plan tailored to your own project and contractor arrangements
- Walk a site and spot the conditions that precede serious incidents, not only the obvious hazards
- Challenge weak method statements and subcontractor arrangements with specific, defensible criteria
- Compare site practices with managers from building, civil, energy and industrial construction projects
Conclusion
Construction sites change daily, and arrangements that suited last month's work can be dangerous by next week. This course moves from duty-holder roles and design risk, through construction phase planning and the control of high-risk activities, to contractor assurance, leading indicators and the incident patterns that repeat across projects. The final day applies that material in an inspection walkthrough and produces a Construction Phase HSE Plan that participants take back to their project team and use to direct site controls.