Work environment plan for building and civil engineering work

Establish a work environment plan

Before the construction site is established, a work environment plan should be created. The developer or the person who has taken over the responsibility for this work also has responsibility for the establishment of this plan. The purpose is that the work environment plan should later be used during the entire construction phase. It is the building work environment coordinator for the execution of the work that should make sure it is accessible at the construction site as soon as it is established, and carry out the necessary adjustments to the plan.

The plan should contain the following:

• The rules to be applied at the construction site.
• A description of how the work environment management shall be organised.
• A description of the work environment measures that should be taken during, among other things, the following work in the construction phase, so that the work environment will be good: 
  • work with risks of falls from height,
  • excavation work with the risk of collapse,
  • work with certain chemical or biological substances,
  • work in the vicinity of high voltage power lines,
  • work entailing the risk of drowning,
  • work in wells and tunnels,
  • work involving the use of explosives,
  • work involving the assembly of heavy building components,
  • work in a place or area with passing vehicular traffic, as well as
  • demolition of load-bearing structures or health-endangering materials or substances.

If the building or civil engineering work will be carried out in a place where other activity will be on-going at the same time, this should be taken into consideration in the work environment plan.

Prior notification of construction site

The developer should, in addition to establishing a work environment plan, also submit prior notification to the Swedish Work Environment Authority before work begins.

Prior notification of construction site

Planning of the work during construction

All work should be planned so that it can be carried out in a healthy and safe environment. The planning needs to be based on a risk assessment. It is important to plan in good time. 

It could be appropriate to establish an outline plan for the workplace (APD plan), when one plans, for example, space for sheds, workshops and stock, as well as for connecting roads and conveying devices. It is important to solve how one can get to all the different places in which one needs to work. Roads for vehicular traffic should be separate from routes for pedestrians.

The work should be planned so that the different activities do not coincide in time and space in such a way that the risk of ill health or accidents arise. The time planning is particularly important if the building time frame is short in relation to the scope of the work.

Choice of working methods and equipment during construction work

Such working methods and equipment should be chosen that:

• counteract accidents caused by falls from height or collapse,
• entail that dangerous or unnecessarily tiring physical loads on the body are avoided,
• involve low exposure to noise, vibrations, hazardous substances and air contamination.

Information and instructions about construction work

Comprehensible information should be given to the employees about the work and the work environment measures that have been taken or are planned, and which regulations apply. In general, specific training or instruction is necessary when new products or working methods are going to be used.

Documentation for future construction work

When the work is concluded, the developer should have completed documentation with information of significance about the work environment during operation, maintenance, repair, alteration and demolition of the building or facility. The documentation should, therefore, describe the construction and design, as well as the building products that have been used. The documentation should be kept as long as the building or facility remains.

Safety rounds at construction sites

At a construction site, it is especially important to have regular safety rounds, because there are continuous and quick changes with many risks. When the construction is at its most intensive, it can be appropriate to have safety rounds once a week, and in general with two or three weeks’ interval. If one uses check lists that are adapted to different risk areas, activities or equipment, safety round work is facilitated. In the safety round minutes, it is suitable to take up both preventive and remedial measures.