Toolbox talk pack

This is a short talk about working at height on this site, today. Listen for the job in front of us, not for a generic roof.

HSE's meaning is plain. You are working at height if, without precautions, you could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. That includes work above the ground or the floor. It includes a fall from an edge, through an opening, or through a fragile surface. It also includes a fall from ground level into an opening in a floor, or a hole in the ground. A slip or a trip on the same level is not work at height. Walking up and down a permanent staircase in a building is not work at height either. Those are still hazards. They are a different talk.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply where there is a risk of a fall liable to cause personal injury. HSE says the duties sit with employers, and with anyone who controls work at height, such as a contractor. The work has to be properly planned and organised. The people doing it have to be competent, or supervised by someone who is. The risks have to be assessed, and the equipment has to match the job. Risks from fragile surfaces have to be managed. Equipment used for work at height has to be inspected and maintained.

HSE's order is the order we use. First, can we avoid the work at height? Do as much as we can from the ground. An extendable tool, or putting the work together before it goes up, is better than climbing. If we cannot avoid it, we prevent the fall. Collective protection comes before a harness: an existing safe place with a permanent guard rail, a scaffold, a tower, or a MEWP. A work-restraint system that stops you reaching the edge is personal protection, and it comes after those collective measures. If a fall can still happen, we shorten the distance and the consequences: nets or soft-landing systems close to the work, or a fall-arrest system with a high anchor. For each step, HSE says consider what is reasonably practicable, and use collective protection before personal protection.

Plan how we would get someone down before anyone goes up. HSE says do not rely only on the emergency services for the rescue in that plan.

Ladders and stepladders are not banned. HSE says they can be a sensible and practical option for low-risk, short-duration tasks, and they should not automatically be the first choice. The regulations allow a ladder when a risk assessment has shown that equipment offering a higher level of fall protection is not justified, because of the low risk and short duration, or because there are existing workplace features which cannot be altered. Short duration is not the deciding factor on its own. Look at the risk first. As a guide, if the task would mean staying on a leaning ladder or a stepladder for more than 30 minutes at a time, HSE recommends you consider alternative equipment. Use a ladder only where it can be used safely: level and stable, and secured where it is reasonably practicable. Use the right type. The person on it needs to know how to use it. Do not overload it, and do not overreach.

On construction work, HSE says handrails have a minimum height of 950 millimetres, and any gap between the top rail and an intermediate rail should not exceed 470 millimetres. Toe boards have to be suitable and sufficient. HSE gives a toe board of a minimum 100 millimetres as an example that would be acceptable.

Roof work is high risk. HSE says falls from roofs, through fragile roofs, and through fragile roof lights are one of the most common causes of workplace death and serious injury. Treat these as likely to be fragile unless you know they are not: roof lights, liner panels on built-up sheeted roofs, non-reinforced fibre cement sheets, corroded metal sheets, glass including wired glass, rotted chipboard, and slates and tiles.

Before anyone goes up today, check the place. HSE says each place where people will work at height needs to be checked every time, before use. Weather that could compromise safety is a reason to stop. Stop materials or objects falling, or keep people out of the area if you cannot stop the fall. If the access is not what the method for this job says, we stop and change the method. We do not change it by climbing anyway.

This talk is about moving things by hand on this site. Manual handling, in HSE's words, means transporting or supporting a load by hand or bodily force. It includes lifting, putting down, pushing, pulling, carrying, or moving loads. A load can be an object, a person, or an animal. On our jobs it is usually boards, bags, a boiler, a length of timber, or a skip that should have been moved with a barrow.

HSE's page is written for employers. It says you must protect workers from the risk of injury from hazardous manual handling. The law sets out three steps. Avoid hazardous manual handling, so far as reasonably practicable. Assess the risk of injury from any hazardous manual handling that cannot be avoided. Reduce the risk of injury to as low as reasonably practicable. The weight of a load is important. The law does not set specific weight limits. Do not let anyone on this site invent a kilogram figure and call it the legal maximum. There isn't one on that page.

In some cases you must provide information about the weight, and the position of the centre of gravity, of each load, if there is a risk of injury and it is reasonably practicable to do this. If the bag or the board has the weight on it, read it out before someone picks it up. If it does not, say that we do not know, and treat that as a reason to be careful, not as a reason to guess.

Good handling technique is not a substitute for the other steps. HSE says that plainly. Lifting aids, a lighter load, a shorter carry, a clear route, and a second person come first. The technique is an addition to those measures, not a replacement.

When a lift still has to be done by hand, HSE describes a basic lift with both hands, the load in front of the body and close to it, without twisting. Think before you lift. Where is it going? Can a handling aid do it? Do you need help? Clear the wrapping and the offcuts. For a long lift, from the floor to shoulder height, think about resting it mid-way so you can change your grip.

Keep the load close to your waist for as long as possible. Keep the heaviest side next to your body. If you cannot get close, slide it towards you before you try to lift it. Feet apart, one leg in front of the other, so you can move your feet during the lift. Hug the load close. A slight bend of the back, hips, and knees at the start is preferable to stooping, or to a full deep squat. Do not flex your back any further while lifting. That happens if the legs straighten before the load starts to rise. Do not twist or lean sideways, especially while the back is bent. Turn by moving your feet. Keep your head up and look ahead once the load is secure. Move smoothly. Do not jerk. Do not lift more than you can easily manage. HSE says there is a difference between what people are able to lift and what they can safely lift. If in doubt, get help. If you need to position it precisely, put it down, then slide it.

If the route is wet, dark, or blocked, that is part of the risk, not a reason to hurry. The slips talk covers the floor. This talk covers the load. If today's method says two people, it stays two people.

This talk is about dust from cutting, drilling, grinding, or polishing materials that contain silica. Bricks, tiles, concrete, and mortar contain it. Sandstone contains more than 70 percent silica. Granite might contain 15 to 30 percent. Those figures are HSE's. The fine dust is respirable crystalline silica, RCS. It is too fine to see in normal lighting. If the air looks clear, that is not proof it is safe.

HSE says silica is the biggest risk to construction workers after asbestos. Heavy and prolonged exposure to RCS can cause lung cancer and other serious lung diseases. Silicosis can cause severe breathing problems and increases the risk of lung infections. It usually follows exposure over many years, but extremely high exposures can cause acute silicosis more quickly. HSE also links silica to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including bronchitis and emphysema. HSE commissioned estimates that silica dust was responsible for the death of over 500 construction workers in 2005. That figure is for 2005. It is not a count I have updated, and it is not a reason to treat today's cut as harmless.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, COSHH, say you must protect against the risks from hazardous construction dust. HSE's leaflet for employees, INDG463, says control measures for RCS must be effective in keeping exposure below the workplace exposure limit of 0.1 milligrams per cubic metre of respirable dust, averaged over 8 hours. That is a limit for the controls to meet. It is not a target to work up to, and it is not something you can judge by eye.

Stop the dust getting into the air. HSE's construction dust sheet, CIS36, gives two main ways. Water damps the cloud down, but only if enough water is supplied at the right levels for the whole time the work is being done. Just wetting the material beforehand does not work. On-tool extraction removes dust as it is produced. It is local exhaust ventilation fitted to the tool: the tool, a capturing hood, an extraction unit, and tubing. Use an extraction unit to the correct specification. Do not just use a general commercial vacuum.

For silica, choose an H class or M class extraction unit. HSE's sheet on on-tool extraction, CIS69, says those units provide effective and reliable extraction and are fitted with low-flow indicators. Do not put a HEPA filter in a general commercial vacuum and call it done. An L class unit is only suitable for lower-toxicity dusts such as gypsum in plasterboard. It is not the unit for silica. The hood has to sit as close as possible to the work. Dust escapes through any gap. Empty the unit into the correct disposable waste bags, seal them, and put them in the right waste container. Do not empty the bags to recycle them. If you hire the unit, check with the hire company what examination they have done.

Water or extraction may not be enough. Often RPE has to be provided as well. HSE says the general level for construction dust is an assigned protection factor, APF, of 20. That means the wearer breathes one twentieth of the dust in the air. Common types at APF 20 are an FFP3 disposable mask, or a half mask with a P3 filter. For longer work, powered RPE such as a TH2 powered hood. CIS36 says consider powered RPE when people are working for more than an hour without a break, because disposable masks and half masks get uncomfortable. RPE is the last line of protection. If you are relying on RPE alone, HSE says you need to be able to justify why. Tight-fitting masks need a face-fit test, and the wearer needs to be clean shaven. The mask has to be the one that fits that person, not the one left on the dashboard.

For regular removal of dust and debris, CIS36 says damp it, or use vacuum attachments on an H or M class unit, and RPE with an APF of 20 depending on the location, the duration, and the dust. A brush, shovel, and bucket, after damping down, is described for minor one-off amounts, not as the everyday clean. Keep other people out of the dusty area. If the work still looks dusty, the control is not doing its job. Stop and tell the person in charge. Do not carry on and hope the mask will cover it.

On-tool extraction needs a thorough examination and test at least every 14 months, by someone with the right knowledge, and a record that it was done. CIS69 also says formal maintenance checks at least once a week, and more often if the kit is getting damaged. A blocked filter is not a small annoyance. It is the control switched off.

This talk is about slips and trips on the level. A fall from a height, or through a roof, is the working-at-height talk. People mix them up because both end with someone on the ground. HSE treats them separately, and so should we.

HSE's leaflet INDG225 says slips and trips are the most common cause of injury at work. On average, they cause 40 percent of all reported major injuries, and they can lead to other serious accidents, including falls from height. They are also the most reported injury to members of the public. That 40 percent is the figure in the leaflet. I have not replaced it with a newer number of my own.

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires employers to ensure the health and safety of employees and anyone affected by the work, so far as is reasonably practicable. That includes slip and trip risks. Employees have a duty not to put themselves or others in danger, and must use any safety equipment provided. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to assess risks, including slip and trip risks, and where necessary take action. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require floors to be suitable, in good condition, and free from obstructions, so people can move around safely.

HSE's trip page is the practical bit. The majority of trips are caused by obstructions in walkways. The rest are caused by uneven surfaces. Preventing them is often simple. You need all three of these right: the walkway, the housekeeping, and the design and maintenance.

Is there a suitable walkway, is it in the right place, and is it actually being used? A walkway blocked by a plasterboard stack is not a walkway. What task is happening on it? If someone is carrying a load that stops them seeing their feet, the manual-handling talk and this talk are the same moment.

Housekeeping: it is not enough to have a walkway. It has to be kept clear. No trailing wires. No offcuts. No tools left where the next person walks. HSE's phrase is a see-it, sort-it attitude, for the people doing the work and for anyone cleaning. Are there enough places to put waste, or does it land on the floor because there is nowhere else?

Design and maintenance: is the floor suitable, fitted properly, and maintained? Are walkways wide enough and level? On stairs, are the risers consistent, are nosings highlighted where necessary, and are usable handrails available? Is the lighting good enough to see the hazard? A lead light that leaves the landing in the dark is part of this talk.

Slips have their own set of causes. HSE calls it the slip potential model: contamination on the floor, the cleaning, the people, the flooring, the environment, and the footwear. One or more of those can be in play. Water, mud from boots, dust, and offcuts are the usual contamination on our jobs. Where the floor cannot be kept clean and dry, HSE says slip-resistant footwear can help. If footwear is supplied as personal protective equipment, it has to be supplied and used as PPE. Trial it so it suits the floor and the person. A smooth-soled trainer on a wet hall floor is a choice, and it is a bad one.

Before we start the next task, look at the route the customer, the other trades, and we will actually walk. Move what is in it. If the floor is wet from us, we say so, and we keep people off it until it is dealt with. A warning sign that stays up all day, over a dry floor, trains everyone to ignore the next one.

This talk is about hand-arm vibration from the tools we hold. Breakers, cut-off saws, hammer drills, grinders, sanders, impact wrenches, needle scalers, and the rest of the van. If you hold a workpiece that vibrates while a machine works on it, that counts too.

Hand-arm vibration syndrome, HAVS, is preventable. Once the damage is done, it is permanent. HSE says that on its key-messages page, and again on the page written for workers. Damage can include not being able to do fine work, and cold can trigger painful finger-blanching attacks. HSE's key messages also say nearly 2 million people are at risk. That is HSE's figure. I am not turning it into a percentage of this crew.

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 set two figures for hand-arm vibration. The exposure action value is a daily exposure of 2.5 metres per second squared A(8). At that level, employers should introduce technical and organisational measures to reduce exposure. The exposure limit value is 5.0 metres per second squared A(8), which should not be exceeded. These are daily exposures, not a vibe you can feel and then ignore. You cannot guess them from how much the handle buzzes.

HSE's page for workers says you are particularly at risk if you regularly operate hammer-action tools for more than about 15 minutes a day, or some rotary and other action tools for more than about one hour a day, because you are likely to be above the exposure action value. Those times are a prompt to take the regulations seriously. They are not a promise that 14 minutes is safe, and they are not a limit you can set for a tool you have not looked up. The exposure depends on the tool. HSE publishes a vibration calculator for the sum. The manufacturer's data, and the way the tool is actually used, belong in that sum. Do not let a guess stand in for it.

Early signs HSE tells workers to look for: tingling and numbness in the fingers, which can disturb sleep. Not being able to feel things with your fingers. Loss of strength in the hands. In the cold and wet, the tips of the fingers going white, then red, and being painful on recovery. That last one is vibration white finger. If you keep using high-vibration tools, HSE says these symptoms will probably get worse: numbness that becomes permanent, trouble picking up small objects such as screws or nails, and white finger that happens more often and spreads to more fingers.

It is the employer's responsibility to protect you. HSE also says you should help. Ask whether the job can be done a different way, without the vibrating tool. That is the control HSE puts first: new or alternative methods that eliminate or reduce exposure. If the tool still has to be used, ask for a suitable low-vibration tool. Use the right tool for the job so the work is quicker. Check the tool before use. A fault or general wear increases vibration. Keep cutting tools sharp. Do other jobs in between, so you are not on the tool for one long stretch. Do not grip or force it harder than you have to. Do not leave tools so the handles are freezing the next time. Keep warm and dry. Smoking reduces blood flow, which is why HSE mentions cutting down. Report symptoms promptly to your employer or the person who does the health checks. Health surveillance is how early damage gets picked up. Use the controls that have been put in place. Do not tape the trigger or take the guard off to get finished.

If your hands are tingling after a normal spell on a tool, say so today. Waiting until you cannot pick up a screw is waiting too long. HSE is clear that the damage does not undo itself.

This is an awareness talk. It is not training to work on asbestos. HSE says asbestos awareness training does not allow you to work on asbestos. If you have not had the training for the work, you do not start.

HSE says asbestos is the greatest cause of work-related deaths in Great Britain. Around 5,000 people die every year from asbestos-related diseases. Those diseases typically take decades to develop, and they cannot be cured. The fibres are too small to see, smell, or feel, in the air or on your clothes. You will not know they are there.

Asbestos was used in many buildings until it was banned in 1999. Buildings constructed after 2000 are unlikely to contain it. A lot of it is still in place. People who work on the structure of older buildings can still be exposed if it is damaged or disturbed. HSE names drilling into a wall, refurbishment, demolition, and installation work. You are more likely to meet it if the building was built or refurbished before 2000, if nobody inspected the area, or if the information was not passed on.

Left alone and in good condition, HSE says the risk is low. Once it is disturbed, fibres can be released and breathed in. That can cause lung disease and cancer, which could prove fatal. Do not sand it, break it, drill it, or sweep dust you cannot account for, to 'see what it is'. You cannot identify it as safe by looking at it.

If you come across any material you think may contain asbestos, HSE's instruction to workers is: stop work, and speak to your employer, or the building owner, to find out if asbestos is in the building. Your employer should ask to see the asbestos register or survey, and check there is enough information to do the work. If you are breaking into the fabric, a refurbishment survey may be required. Do not do any work until that has been completed. Even if a survey exists, it might not have found every location. Assume it can still be hidden.

If asbestos is disturbed, stop work immediately. HSE says it must be dealt with quickly, and points workers to the guidance on what to do if you discover or accidentally disturb asbestos, the sheet EM1. Follow that. Do not try to tidy it, bag it, or carry on with a dust mask from the van because you want to finish the room.

Some work has to be done by a licensed asbestos contractor. HSE's worker page says: if in doubt, assume the work is licensed and stop until you are told otherwise.

If you are self-employed, HSE's worker page says you are responsible. The introduction to the same guidance says a self-employed person has the same responsibilities under the law as an employer and a worker. That does not mean you assess the material yourself and carry on. It means the duty to stop, and to get the right information and the right people, sits with you.

On a domestic job, contractors still have to protect people from the risks of their work, including asbestos-containing materials. The homeowner being in the house is not a reason to take a chance on a cupboard, a soffit, a floor tile, or a heating flue. Ask what the building is, and what year the part you are opening was built or refurbished. If nobody knows, stop and find out before you open it.

What you do today, if you are unsure: stop, tell the person in charge of this site, and do not let anyone else start the same hole. Show them the HSE pages linked under this talk if they want the source. Do not photograph it and ask a chat tool whether it is asbestos. A photo is not a survey.

This talk is about the chat tools and the texts that now turn up on site. It is not a health-and-safety regulation. The hazards above, height, dust, asbestos, vibration, and the floor, still come from HSE. This one is about not making those jobs worse with a phone.

A chat tool can put notes under headings. It has not walked this job. The guide on risk assessments and method statements says what that means in practice. You write what you saw: the address, who else is around, the access, the dust, the cables, the rot, the kit you will actually bring. Then you can ask the tool to sort those notes. You tell it not to add a control you did not mention. If it writes a harness, a permit, or a qualification you do not have, that line comes out. You read the draft against your notes before anyone treats it as the method. A tidy PDF is not a RAMS. The person responsible is still the person who decided the method.

Do not paste a customer's personal data into a chatbot to make the paragraph better. The same guide says not to paste a customer's health details. 'The occupier is frail and cannot leave the room' can be written as 'occupier will remain in the house; keep a clear route and control dust', without the medical story. Do not paste a Unique Taxpayer Reference, a National Insurance number, or bank details. The CIS guide says a job name and the figures you can check are enough. Do not paste a one-time code from a bank text. The scam-text guide says delete the code before you paste the message, if you use a prompt to slow yourself down. A code is a key.

Scam texts now read like a person. Bad spelling is a weak clue. The guide for trades lists the usual ones: a fake toll or van charge, a parcel you were not expecting, an HMRC refund, a supplier who has 'changed bank details', a customer who wants a deposit before you have seen the job, and your bank asking you to read out a code. You were not in the middle of that thing. That is the clue.

Do not tap the link. Do not reply. Do not call the number in the message. If a supplier's account has changed, phone them on the number you already had, not the number in the text. Customer payments go to the account on the invoice you sent. If a customer says you sent new details, they check with you in the thread you already use.

Forward a suspicious text to 7726. That report is free. Note the number it came from, forward the message, and reply with the sender's number when you are asked. 7726 is for the message. It is not where you report that money has already left the account. Phone the bank on the number on the card, or in the app you opened yourself. Then, in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, report it to Report Fraud or call 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, Police Scotland on 101. Those are the routes in the guide, taken from Report Fraud and the National Cyber Security Centre. Do not pay a 'recovery' service that texts you next.

An apprentice with the work phone needs this in one minute, not a lecture. No links in texts about tolls, parcels, HMRC, the bank, or a customer you do not know. No reading out a login code. No new supplier bank details from a text. If money has gone, the bank first, then Report Fraud or Police Scotland as above.

If someone has already pasted a customer's details, or a code, into a chat, say so now. We can change the password from a device we trust, and we can tell the customer if their information went somewhere it should not. Pretending it did not happen is how a small mistake becomes a bigger one.

This talk is about cold weather, ice, and dark mornings on this job. It is not the heat talk, and it is not a substitute for the slips talk or the working-at-height talk. HSE's outdoor working page says the weather can have a serious impact on health if the risks have not been managed, straight away or over a longer time. It can also affect whether someone can keep safe, including when they are handling machinery.

The indoor figures are easy to misread, so I am saying what they are and what they are not. HSE's temperature pages say the minimum temperature in an indoor workplace should normally be at least 16°C, or 13°C if much of the work involves rigorous physical effort. Those figures are for workplaces inside buildings. An open site, a scaffold, or a garden is not that room. HSE's cold stress page says it does not provide guidance on cold stress, and points back to the broad advice on cold weather. I am not going to invent a temperature at which this site must stop. There is not one on those pages.

For cold environments outdoors, HSE's list is short. Make sure the personal protective equipment issued is appropriate. Provide mobile facilities for warming up, and soup or hot drinks. Introduce more frequent rest breaks. Consider delaying the work until a warmer time of year, without compromising on safety. Make sure people can recognise the early symptoms of cold stress. The examples HSE gives are a cough or body aches. I have not added shivering, or any other sign, because that page does not list them. If someone has those symptoms, we treat it as a reason to get them warm and to tell the person in charge, not as a reason to push on.

Ice is a slip, and the construction slips page is the one I am using. Wet or slippery surfaces should be treated with stone for mud, or grit for ice, or given a temporary covering. Signpost slippery areas, and make sure footwear with a good grip is worn. The workplace safety law page says you must minimise risks from snow and ice on outdoor routes, for example by using salt or sand and sweeping them. A walkway that was fine at 7am can be a sheet of ice after a shower. Look at it again before the next trip with a load. The slips talk covers what we leave in the walkway. This talk covers what the weather puts on it.

Dark mornings are a lighting problem as well as a cold one. The workplace law page says you must provide good light, and well-lit outside areas, for pedestrians and for work such as loading and unloading at night. HSE's construction guidance, HSG150, says every part of a site that is in use should, as far as possible, be arranged so natural light is there for people to see the work and to move about. Where natural light is not enough, provide artificial light. Shadows can hide a hazard, including a blade or a stair. If the main light failing would put someone at risk, provide emergency lighting. Torches can be the emergency light where automatic lighting is not possible. Escape routes need to stay lit while people are on site.

HSE's workplace transport lighting sheet is the one for vehicles. There should be adequate lighting of site locations and vehicles so people can work safely. Roads, manoeuvring areas and yards should be sufficiently lit. As a minimum, light the junctions, the areas around plant and buildings, the pedestrian routes, and the places where loading or unloading happens. The sheet says winter work often carries on well into the hours of darkness. Put lighting high and angle it downwards, so it does not create glare and shadows. Vehicles on site should use lights or beacons in darkness or poor visibility, so other vehicles can see them. Signs should be lit for night or bad weather, or be reflective. A strong change of light between inside and outside a building needs thinking about too.

High-visibility clothing is part of being seen, not a substitute for the light. HSE's clothing sheet says the choice depends on the light, including fog and snow. The darker the site, the more high-visibility clothing is needed. People at particular risk from moving vehicles, such as a marshaller, may need full-body high-visibility clothing, not only a waistcoat. It has to work in the day and at night. Fluorescent yellow is the colour the sheet says is likely to stand out. Retroreflective material is what makes someone visible in headlights in the dark. Cold-weather clothing should have those qualities, or be wearable under a high-visibility layer. It has to fit, and it must not fight the other PPE. The sheet cites BS EN 471, with class 3 the highest area of conspicuous material and class 1 the lowest, and a second number for how well it shows in headlights. A CE mark means the clothing met the manufacturing rules. It does not mean it is right for this yard.

Cold is also a reason to look at the rest of the PPE. HSE's PPE overview lists extremes of heat or cold as a remaining risk that PPE may have to cover, after other controls. The page on types of PPE names climate and extreme temperatures for the head, temperature for the hands, and temperature and slipping for the feet, including soles that can be thermally insulating. HSE's construction clothing answers say that in cold weather it is important to keep warm, especially when working at height, because the cold can distract someone and lead to a loss of concentration. The workplace law page says drying facilities for wet work clothes should be provided where that is practical and necessary. Wet gloves are not the control.

Before we start today: who has walked the route, is there grit where there is ice, are the lights on for the junctions and the pedestrian way, and are the vehicles showing lights if it is still dark? Who knows where they can warm up, and where the hot drink is? If the weather means we cannot do the job without compromising safety, we delay it. We do not invent a number and call it HSE's.

This talk is about noise that can damage hearing. It is not the vibration talk, though the same tools often do both. The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 require employers to prevent or reduce risks from noise at work. Employees have duties too. HSE's list for employers is: assess the risks, take action to reduce the exposure, provide hearing protection if other methods cannot reduce it enough, make sure the legal limits are not exceeded, give information, instruction and training, and carry out health surveillance where there is a risk to health. Low-level noise that is only a nuisance, and does not risk hearing damage, is outside those regulations.

The action values are daily or weekly averages, plus a peak. HSE's employers page sets the lower exposure action values at a daily or weekly exposure of 80 dB(A), and a peak sound pressure of 135 dB(C). The upper exposure action values are 85 dB(A), and a peak of 137 dB(C). The exposure limit values, which must not be exceeded, are 87 dB(A) and a peak of 140 dB(C). HSE's book L108 says you must not permit exposure above those limit values at the ear, so the reduction from hearing protection can be taken into account there, and that if a limit is exceeded you must act immediately to get the exposure at the ear back below it. You cannot hear the difference between 80 and 85 and call it a measurement. These are not numbers you guess from how annoying a saw sounds.

On a construction site, HSE says you will probably have to do something about noise if people have to raise their voices to talk while about 2 metres apart, for at least part of the day, or if they use noisy powered tools or machinery for more than half an hour a day, or if they are exposed to regular impacts such as pneumatic drills, or to explosive sources such as cartridge-operated tools. A separate rule of thumb on HSE's assessing page says the level is probably 80 dB or more if the noise is intrusive but normal conversation is still possible between people 2 metres apart, and probably 85 dB or more if you have to shout to talk to someone 2 metres away for more than about two hours in total. Those are prompts to assess, not a certificate that a quieter spell was safe. Enclosed spaces reflect noise back and can raise the exposure. Give particular attention to anyone who already has a hearing problem.

HSE names the kit that puts people at higher risk if they use it regularly, or work near it: concrete breakers, pokers and compactors, sanders, grinders, disc cutters, hammer drills, chipping hammers, cartridge-operated tools, scabblers and needle guns, and heavy plant. The first control is to make less noise. Eliminate the noisy task at the design stage where you can. HSE's examples of a quieter process are a block splitter instead of a cut-off saw, bursting or crushing instead of pneumatic drilling, and boring instead of pile driving. Limit reversing, because reversing alarms add to the noise. Isolate people by keeping cab doors and windows closed, or by using remote-controlled equipment. Shut plant down when it is not in use.

If noisy work remains, HSE says select low-noise tools, fit mufflers, silencers and sound panels, use barriers or existing cabins to stop noise travelling, keep people out of noisy areas, put stationary plant far from the work, and move walkways away from it. Rotate people, and use quiet days, so the exposure is managed. Weekly averaging is allowed as a way to manage exposures. Hearing protection comes after that. HSE's construction noise page and the noise FAQ both say you should not rely on hearing protection as the only control. It fails and it gets misused. Too much protection is also a problem, because people on a site need to hear what is happening and need to talk.

The hearing protection page says what the law then requires. Provide protectors if an employee asks and their exposure is between the lower and upper action values. Provide them, and make sure they are used properly, when exposure exceeds the upper action values. Identify hearing protection zones, where use is compulsory, and mark them with signs. Train people how to use and care for them. Aim at least to get below 85 dB at the ear. Avoid protectors that reduce the level at the ear to below 70 dB, because that over-protection can isolate people and lead them to take the protection off. HSE gives a guide, not a substitute for a proper calculation, based on the single number rating of the protector and the noise level of the task: 20 or less for 85 to 90 dB, 20 to 30 for 90 to 95, 25 to 35 for 95 to 100, and 30 or more for 100 to 105. That table is not for noise with a lot of low frequency, and HSE lists press shops, generators, plant rooms and boiler houses among the places it does not fit. Do not make hearing protection compulsory where the law does not require it, and do not have a blanket rule that ignores the task.

Protection only works when it is worn and fitted. Taking it off for a few minutes in the noise considerably lowers the protection. Long hair, woolly hats, spectacles and earrings can spoil the fit. So can a hard hat, a dust mask or eye protection, if the combination was not thought through. Check that earmuff seals are undamaged, that the headband still has its tension, that nobody has modified the protector, and that compressible plugs are soft, clean and pliable. Provide a range so people can find one that suits them. Health surveillance, meaning hearing checks, is needed if people are frequently exposed above the upper action value, or if they are at risk for another reason, such as already having hearing loss. If a check finds a problem, review the controls and act to prevent further harm.

HSE is plain about the harm. Noise can seriously damage hearing. Some people get a ringing in the ears, tinnitus, which can become permanent. Once hearing has gone, it will not come back. There is no cure. Hearing aids cannot fully compensate. The damage can make it harder to hear warnings, which is how a hearing problem becomes an accident. If today's job needs a shout at two metres, we look for a quieter way before we reach for the defenders. If the defenders are the control, they stay on for the whole noisy spell, and they are the pair that fits with the hat.

This talk is about hazardous substances on this job. COSHH is the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. HSE says COSHH covers chemicals, products containing chemicals, fumes, dusts, vapours, mists, gases and asphyxiating gases, and biological agents. If the packaging has a hazard symbol, it is classed as a hazardous substance. Germs that cause diseases such as leptospirosis are in scope too. COSHH does not cover lead, asbestos or radioactive substances, because those have their own regulations. Asbestos is the other talk. Silica dust is still a hazardous substance, and it has its own talk because the controls are specific. Do not let this briefing replace that one.

A COSHH assessment is not only about tins with a symbol. HSE's assessment page says health hazards are not limited to substances labelled as hazardous. The work can produce them. The examples on that page are wood dust from sanding, silica dust from tile cutting, and fumes from welding. If we are cutting, grinding, heating or spraying, we ask what the process is putting into the air, not only what the tub says.

If you are self-employed, HSE's answer is yes, COSHH applies. If you have employees and you control their work, every part applies. If you have no employees, but you take hazardous substances onto other people's premises, all parts apply except those about monitoring and health surveillance. Working alone in a customer's house does not switch the rules off.

Before the assessment, HSE says ask what you do that involves hazardous substances, how they can cause harm, and how you can reduce that harm. Always try to prevent exposure at source. Can you avoid the substance, or use a safer process, such as a water-based product instead of a solvent-based one, or a brush instead of a spray? Can you substitute something milder, or use a vacuum rather than a brush? Can you use a safer form, such as a solid instead of a liquid, to avoid splashes, or a waxy solid instead of a dry powder, to avoid dust? If you cannot prevent exposure, you control it. Control is adequate when the risk of harm is as low as is reasonably practicable. That means the control measures are in good working order, exposures are below the workplace exposure limit where one exists, and exposure to substances that cause cancer, asthma or genetic damage is reduced as low as possible.

The assessment itself is a set of questions, not a form for its own sake. Read the label and the safety data sheet. If in doubt, ask the supplier. Decide who might be harmed and how: breathed in, on the skin, through the skin, or swallowed. Think about how often and for how long, and about maintenance workers, other contractors, visitors and members of the public. Write down what you already do and what else is needed, who will do it, and by when. Substances that have a workplace exposure limit are hazardous to health. The limit is a mark the controls have to meet. It is not a target to work up to.

HSE's order for controls starts with elimination: do you need this substance at all? Then change the process, for example a lower temperature so less vapour is given off, or pellets instead of a dusty powder. Then containment: enclose the work, use closed transfer, and use local exhaust ventilation that is examined and tested every 14 months by someone competent. Restrict access to the people who need to be there. Store materials in the right containers, labelled, with incompatible materials separated. HSE's example is acids and caustics. Plan the waste. Cleaning is part of the exposure, so use a dust-free method: vacuum, do not sweep. Have a way to clear a spill quickly. Personal protective equipment is for when the other controls cannot adequately control exposure, and it is used with those controls, not instead of them. HSE says do not automatically opt for PPE. It is not as reliable or effective as the other measures.

People have to be told the outcome. What the hazard is, any workplace exposure limit, what they must do, the results of any monitoring, and the collective results of health surveillance. They need to know what to do in a spill or an emergency. If a contractor is bringing a substance onto the job, we need to know what it is and how they will stop it harming other people. If you have five or more employees, you must record the assessment. If you have fewer, HSE says it still makes sense to write down the steps you took. Review it when the staff, the process, the substance or the equipment changes, and if people report a problem or there is an accident or a near miss.

On this job today, the question is simple. What are we about to open, heat, cut or spray? Have we read the label? Is the control the one in the assessment, or a mask we hoped would cover it? Who else is in the room, including the customer? If the label is missing, we do not guess. We stop and find out.

This talk is about personal protective equipment: choosing it, wearing it, and checking it. PPE is equipment, including clothing that protects against the weather, which is worn or held to protect someone against a risk to health or safety. HSE's overview says employers must protect workers, and must provide PPE free of charge if a risk assessment shows it is needed. Examples on that page are safety helmets, gloves, eye or hearing protection, high-visibility clothing, safety footwear, harnesses, and respiratory protective equipment so people do not breathe in dust, mist, gas or fume.

PPE is the last resort. HSE's page on the 2022 regulations sets the order: elimination, then substitution, then engineering controls, then administrative controls, then PPE. The overview says the same thing in site language. Do the risk assessment. Some hazards may remain after engineering controls and safe systems of work. PPE may then be needed for breathing in dust, mist, gas or fume, for falling materials, for flying particles or corrosive splash in the eyes, for skin contact with corrosive materials, for excessive noise, and for extremes of heat or cold. If we can stop the dust or the noise at source, we do that first. The silica talk and the noise talk are those controls. This talk is what is left on the person.

The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations require PPE to be properly assessed before use so it is fit for purpose, maintained and stored properly, provided with instructions on how to use it safely, and used correctly. Employers must give sufficient information, instruction and training. The 2022 amendment extended those employer duties to limb (b) workers, people who are not employees but are not in business for themselves. HSE's page says those changes do not apply to people who are self-employed. Where an employer does owe the duty, the PPE is free of charge, and the employer is responsible for maintenance, storage and replacement. The worker uses it as trained, returns it to the storage provided, and reports it if it is lost or becomes defective. You cannot charge a worker for PPE they need to do the work.

On a construction site, HSE's footwear answer is specific. Workers are expected to wear protective footwear while on site and doing heavy work. Toecaps protect against dropped objects. Midsole protection protects against a nail. If you need to be on site, the employer provides a basic standard of safety footwear, and you do not have to pay for it so long as you look after it and make it last a reasonable time. If there is a medical reason the basic footwear will not do, the employer pays for suitable kit. HSE also says clothing has to protect against the hazards. In cold weather, keep warm, especially at height, because the cold can distract someone. Shorts are a site-rule question as well as a hazard question: if the site does not allow them, follow the rule. The reason HSE gives for covering the lower legs is cuts, grazes and splinters in a place where skin damage can lead to infection.

The right type depends on the part of the body. Eyes: spectacles, goggles or a face screen, matched to impact, dust, splash or molten metal, and fitted to the person. Head: a safety helmet or a bump cap. Replace head protection if it is damaged. Some helmets take eye or hearing protection. Neck protection matters for welding. Ears: plugs, muffs or canal caps that reduce the noise enough and still let the person hear a warning. The noise talk has the levels. Hands: gloves or gauntlets for abrasion, temperature, cuts, chemicals and the rest. Do not wear gloves on a bench drill, where they can catch. Barrier cream is not a substitute for PPE. Feet: the sole has to suit the floor, including oil or a wet surface, and it may need to be thermally insulating. Lungs: filtering respirators, some of which have to be face-fitted, or breathing apparatus where the air itself is not good enough. Whole body: overalls, a chemical suit, or high-visibility clothing, and flame-retardant material where that is what the job needs.

Two pieces of PPE that fight each other are a failed control. HSE says if more than one type is worn, they must not interfere. A mask that will not seal because of a beard or a pair of glasses, or muffs that will not sit because of a helmet, is the combination problem. Hearing protection guidance says the same about hats, glasses and earrings. Check it before the task, not after. Head protection that is cracked gets replaced. Hearing protection needs undamaged seals, a headband that still grips, no homemade modifications, and plugs that are soft and clean. If it is lost or defective, tell the person who issued it. Do not tape it, and do not borrow a random pair because they were on the dashboard.

Today we ask four things. What hazard is left after the other controls? Is this the PPE for that hazard? Does it fit the person who is wearing it, and has that person been told how to use it? Is it damaged, dirty, or incompatible with the rest of the kit? If the answer to the last one is yes, it comes off and it gets replaced before the work starts.

This talk is about portable leaning ladders and stepladders, on this job, today. The working-at-height talk is the one about whether we should be climbing at all. HSE's ladder overview says ladders and stepladders are not banned. The law calls for a sensible, proportionate approach. A ladder can be a sensible and practical option for low-risk, short-duration tasks. It should not automatically be the first choice. Use the right type, and know how to use it. If the task needs a scaffold, a tower or a MEWP, this talk is not permission to use the ladder because it is already on the roof rack.

Before anyone climbs, they need the manufacturer's instructions to hand, and they do a pre-use check. HSE says the person using the ladder does that check, at the beginning of the working day, and again after something has changed. A ladder that has been dropped, or moved from dirty ground to a clean floor, gets checked again. Look at the stiles. If they are bent or damaged, the ladder could buckle or collapse. Look at the feet. Missing, worn or damaged feet can slip. When you move from soft or dirty ground, such as dug soil, loose stone or a dirty workshop, onto paving, check that the feet themselves are touching the ground, not a lump of soil or a stone stuck in the foot. Look at the rungs. Bent, worn, missing or loose rungs can fail. Look at the locking mechanism. If it does not work, or parts are bent or worn, the ladder could collapse. Locking bars have to be fully engaged. On a stepladder, a split or buckled platform can make it unstable, and contaminated or loose steps can slip or collapse. If you find any of that, do not use the ladder. Tell the person in charge.

A pre-use check is not the same as the employer's inspection. HSE says pre-use checks do not need to be recorded. Problems get reported. The employer also needs a detailed visual inspection, regularly, by a competent person, in line with the manufacturer's instructions, and that one is recorded. Ladders that are part of a scaffold are still inspected every seven days as part of the scaffold inspection. Only use a ladder with no visible defects, an up-to-date inspection record, that is strong enough for the job, and that has been maintained and stored as the manufacturer says. The inspection looks for damaged feet, twisted or dented stiles, cracked or loose rungs, missing tie rods, and cracked welds, loose rivets or damaged stays.

Where it stands matters as much as the ladder. HSE's list: firm ground, level ground, using the manufacturer's levelling device rather than bricks, blocks or bits of timber, and a clean solid surface with no oil, moss, leaves, sand or packaging. A shiny floor can be slippery even when it looks clean. Keep it where vehicles will not strike it. Use barriers or cones. Secure doors and windows that could push it, and do not block a fire exit to do that. Stop the public using it, walking under it, or standing too close. Barriers or cones first. A person standing guard at the bottom is the last resort. The ladder has to be secured.

On a leaning ladder, carry only light materials and tools. Read the label and assess the load, including your own weight. Do not overreach. HSE's test is that your belt buckle, or your navel, stays within the stiles. The ladder has to be long enough. Do not work off the top three rungs, and try to have the ladder extend at least 1 metre, or three rungs, above where you are working. Use the 1-in-4 rule so the angle is about 75 degrees: one unit out for every four units up. Grip the ladder and face the rungs when you climb or come down. Do not slide down the stiles. Do not move or extend it while you are standing on the rungs. Do not stand it on a pallet, bricks, a lift truck, a tower, an excavator bucket, a van or a MEWP. Do not hold items as you climb if you can use a tool belt. Maintain three points of contact when climbing and, wherever possible, at the work position. If you cannot keep a handhold, other than for a brief moment such as starting a nail, you need another way to prevent a fall or to reduce the consequences. Tie the ladder so it cannot slip out or sideways, and rest it on something solid, not glazing or a plastic gutter. A stability device is worth considering if it is the right one and it is used as the maker says.

Do not work within 6 metres horizontally of any overhead power line, unless the line has been made dead or protected with insulation. For any electrical work, use a non-conductive ladder, such as fibreglass or timber. The electrical safety talk covers the rest of live services. A ladder is one of the long items HSE names as a risk near overhead lines.

A stepladder has its own rules. All four feet on the ground, steps level, locking devices engaged. Do not stand and work on the top three steps, including a step that forms the very top, unless there is a suitable handhold. Face the work where you can. A risk assessment can show that side-on is safer in a tight space, but that is the exception, and the locks still have to be fully engaged. Avoid side loading, such as drilling side-on through brick or concrete. If you cannot avoid it, tie the steps so they cannot tip, or use better access. Three points of contact at the working position means two feet and one hand, or, when both hands are needed for a brief period, two feet and your body supported by the stepladder.

Telescopic ladders are leaning ladders that do not all work the same way. Use, store and transport them with care, and keep them clean, as well as following the rest of this guidance. If the check fails, the ladder stays on the ground. We do not climb it to prove it is fine.

This talk is about fire on this site, and about hot work: anything that makes heat, sparks or flame. HSE's construction fire FAQ says a fire needs three things: a source of ignition, a source of fuel, and oxygen. Ignition on a site includes heaters, lighting, naked flames, electrical equipment, hot processes such as welding or grinding, smokers' materials, and anything else that can get very hot or cause sparks. Fuel includes petrol, paint, varnish, white spirit, wood, paper, plastic, rubber or foam, LPG, acetylene, loose packaging, waste and furniture. If any one of those is in the way of the other, we deal with it before we start.

Duties are split, and both matter. Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, HSE says clients, designers, principal designers, and contractors, including principal contractors and construction workers, have duties to eliminate and control fire risks. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales, and the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, put duties on a responsible person or a dutyholder. That is usually the employer, the owner or the occupier. They assess the risk and put measures in place, such as escape routes and warning systems. HSE's process-fire page says the Fire Safety Order sets the law on general fire safety on a construction site, including means of escape, and that CDM 2015 also requires the risk from fire to be prevented. Timber-frame building needs more than the ordinary precautions. HSE points that work to HSG168 and to timber-frame guidance. This talk is not that extra set.

The aim is that people can get out, quickly, to a place of safety. What you need depends on the risk. A timber-frame or multi-storey site needs more. HSE's list of measures is emergency plans, raising the alarm, limiting spread by compartmentation, escape routes and fire exits, and firefighting. On a small low-risk site the alarm may be raised by shouting. On a high-risk or larger site you need a fixed, interconnected system of call points and sounders. The signal has to be distinctive and heard above the site noise. Everyone here needs to know what the alarm sounds like, how to raise it, which route is clear, and where to assemble. Escape routes are kept clear. Rubbish in a corridor is a fire problem and an escape problem.

HSE says each year there are serious fires on construction sites and in buildings being refurbished, and that many could be avoided by planning and control. Refurbishment is a particular risk when there is a lot of dry timber, and later in a job when adhesives, insulation and soft furnishings are present. Keep the amount of combustible material in the work area down until it is needed. Store it outside where you can, especially LPG and other volatile materials. If it has to be inside, plan the place so it does not put people at risk. Specify less combustible materials where that is possible, and remember that working on a material can make it easier to ignite, for example when a solid becomes dust. Protective coverings and scaffold sheeting can add to the risk. Flame-retardant materials reduce that. Bonfires should not normally be allowed. Have another way to get rid of waste. Secure the site against arson, especially at night and at weekends. High fire-loading sites, or sites with a history of vandalism, may need extra lighting, out-of-hours security or CCTV. Nobody sleeps in a building under construction or refurbishment. HSE is clear on that.

Hot work is the part people rush. HSE's process-fire page says all hot work that generates heat, sparks or flame can cause a fire. The precautions on that page are: clear the area of combustible materials, have suitable fire extinguishers, and keep a careful watch throughout the work. A permit to work can help manage the risk on larger projects. HSG168, HSE's fire safety in construction book, defines hot work as any process that generates flame, sparks or heat, including oxy-fuel cutting and welding, grinding and cutting metal, torch-applied roofing, heat guns and soldering irons. It says hot works should be designed out where practicable and replaced with cold methods, and that where combustible material is present you use alternatives. The book then sets the precautions I want read out, because the short page does not give the times.

Before the work, look at the area, especially on a refurbishment where you may not know what is in the fabric. Remove loose combustible materials in and around the work, inside any gap in a wall, floor or ceiling where heat or sparks could go, in the area underneath, and on the other side of a wall if you are only working one side. Protect what you cannot remove, and any openings, with non-combustible board. Have at least two suitable fire extinguishers within reach of the hot work and of any fire-watch position. Keep a watch while the work is going on, and during breaks, including spaces you cannot see if the heat can pass through. HSG168 says there should be a continuous fire watch for at least an hour after the hot work ends, then at least one more check two hours after it ends. Some materials can smoulder for a long time before they ignite. All hot works should be finished two hours before the end of the working day, so those checks can be done. Closing a permit includes a visual inspection of the area. If the site has security staff, they should be told to keep checking former hot-work areas.

Extinguishers are not a reason to fight a fire you are not trained for. HSE says the number and type depend on the hazard, and that the primary purpose is to aid escape. In some limited circumstances a trained person may tackle a fire in the early stages. The FAQ matches types to fires: water for wood, paper, textile and solid material; powder for liquid and electrical fires; foam for liquid fires; carbon dioxide for liquid and electrical fires. They sit at identifiable fire points on each storey exit, and they are serviced. Hot work needs its own extinguishers as well. Know which one is for this fuel before you need it.

What we do on this job: what can burn within reach of the spark, who is watching, including the other side of the wall and the floor below, where the extinguishers are, how we raise the alarm, and who is still here for the hour after we stop, and for the check two hours after. If we cannot finish in time to do those checks before the site empties, we do not start the hot work.

This talk is about electricity on this job: the building we are opening up, the tools we plug in, and any overhead line or buried cable we could reach. HSE's page on electrical systems in buildings says electricity can kill, and that unlike most other hazards you cannot see it, feel it, hear it or smell it, so there is no warning. The law says you must take precautions against death or injury from electricity during construction work. Refurbishment is the greatest risk, and it has to be planned, managed and monitored. Specialist electrical work is only for people who are trained and competent, following strict procedures. The equipment has to be safe and maintained.

HSE says about three workers are electrocuted each year during refurbishment on commercial and domestic buildings. Further deaths happen in incidents with overhead power lines and underground cables. I am using that figure as HSE states it. I have not updated it. Incidents inside buildings involve electricians and other trades. They happen when equipment was assumed to be dead but was live, or was known to be live and the precautions were not enough. Plumbers and joiners are named, not only electricians. Electricians are not immune either. HSE says a number of the electrocutions involve qualified electricians.

The people planning a refurbishment have to understand the electrical system and talk to the occupier, so the work does not compromise the system or the people. If the work, including labouring, joinery or plumbing, is liable to disturb or damage the existing system, the relevant parts should be isolated. Electrical contractors should not work live if it can be avoided, and they should not make a system live before the work is finished and everything is installed correctly. Safe isolation procedures must be followed at all times. A chat photo of a consumer unit is not isolation. If we do not know whether it is dead, we treat it as live and we stop until someone competent has isolated it and proved it.

Tools are the everyday risk. HSE says tools, plugs and cables designed for DIY and domestic use are not suitable for site conditions. Use cordless tools, or tools on a 110 volt centre-tapped-to-earth supply, so the maximum voltage to earth does not exceed 55 volts. Inspect power tools regularly and take them out of service if they are damaged. A qualified electrician services them. No makeshift repairs. Where 230 volt mains equipment is used, the risk is high if a tool, a lead or the equipment is damaged or faulty. HSE's checks for 230 volt equipment are a visual check for damage every shift, a visual inspection every week, and a combined inspection and test before first use on a site and then every month. Records of those checks should be kept. An RCD detects some faults, not all of them, and switches the supply off quickly. It has to be properly installed and enclosed, checked daily, treated with care, kept free of moisture and dirt, and protected against vibration and mechanical damage. An RCD is not a reason to leave a damaged lead in use.

Lighting on a temporary system needs the same care. Protect cabling and bulbs. A broken bulb can leave a live filament. Check bulbs so the site stays both electrically safe and well lit. The fire talk covers lamps as an ignition source. This talk covers the shock.

Overhead lines are a separate hazard, and ladders, scaffold tubes, tippers, lorry-mounted cranes and MEWPs are on HSE's list of what reaches them. Accidental contact kills people and causes serious injuries. So does a flashover, when a person or an object gets too close without touching the line. Going close can be enough. Voltages lower than 230 volts can kill. Do not mistake a line on a wooden pole for a telephone wire. Electricity can bypass wood, plastic or rubber if it is damp or dirty. Do not rely on gloves or rubber boots. Assume a line is live unless the owner has proved otherwise. Find out whether a line crosses the work or the access before you arrive with a high vehicle. The information comes from the distribution network operator. If a line is there, talk to the owner in time for it to be diverted or made dead, or for other precautions.

HSE's order is to eliminate the danger where you can: do the work somewhere else, have the line diverted, or have it made dead. If you cannot, control the access and the work. Barriers go at the clearance distance the distribution network operator gives you. Passageways under a line should be as narrow as the plant needs and should cross at right angles where possible. If work under a live line cannot be avoided, use barriers, goal posts and warning notices, keep anything that could reach past the safe clearance out of the area, and put physical restraints on cranes, excavators and telehandlers so they cannot be altered on the day. Someone suitable supervises the plant. The ladder talk includes HSE's rule: do not work within 6 metres horizontally of an overhead line unless it has been made dead or protected with insulation.

If a vehicle or a load touches a line, HSE says stay in the cab and tell the distribution network operator immediately. Warn everyone else to stay clear. Try to drive clear. If you have to get out because of fire, jump clear. Do not climb down the steps. Never try to untangle the equipment until the owner of the line has confirmed it is dead and safe. A line can trip out and then re-energise on its own, without warning. Keep the operator's number in the cab and on the phone before you need it.

Buried cables are on the same HSE page as a cause of further deaths. This talk does not invent a scanning method. If we do not know where the services are, from the occupier, the drawings, or the operator, we do not dig, drill or drive a pin through them. We stop and find out. Today: what is live, what has been isolated and proved, what voltage the tools are on, and where any line crosses the access. If the answer is that we are not sure, we do not start.

This talk is about work-related stress and mental health on this job. It is not a diagnosis, and it is not counselling. I am not a clinician. HSE treats work-related stress as a health and safety matter. Employers must assess the risks of work-related stress and take action to protect workers. If something at work has caused the problem, managers should act on that, not only send the person away to cope.

HSE says that if workers start acting differently, it can be a sign they are stressed. Managers should look for the signs and ask whether the stress could be linked to work pressure. Acting early can reduce the impact and make it easier to reduce or remove the causes. The signs can also be symptoms of other conditions. If a manager is worried, HSE says they should encourage the person to see their GP.

In a team, HSE's signs include arguments, higher staff turnover, more reports of stress, more sickness absence, decreased performance, and more complaints and grievances. In one person, a change in how they act can include taking more time off, arriving later, or being more twitchy or nervous. A change in how they think or feel can include mood swings, being withdrawn, loss of motivation, commitment and confidence, and increased emotional reactions, such as being more tearful, sensitive or aggressive. None of that, on its own, proves a cause. It is a reason to notice, and a reason to talk. HSE says workers can look after their own stress at work by talking to their manager, a colleague, or their GP if they think they have a problem.

On a site, that conversation is short and ordinary. You do not have to use clinical words. You can say you have noticed they are quieter, or later, or not themselves, and ask if they want to talk or if something on the job is making it worse. You do not announce it to the whole briefing. You do not joke them out of it. If the cause is the workload, the hours, the way people are treated, or bullying, that is a work problem and the person in charge has to deal with the work problem. HSE also says employers could review policies on bullying, harassment and discrimination, and check that the first-aid needs assessment considers physical and mental health needs. A first-aid kit does not cover this talk. Knowing who to call does.

If you need someone to listen, Samaritans say you can call 116 123 any time, day or night, from any phone, and that the call is free. Their contact page says the number is free from landlines and mobiles, including pay-as-you-go, and that you do not need credit or a call allowance. They say they will not judge or tell you what to do. You do not have to give your name. I read that page on 19 October 2026. This briefing is not Samaritans, and I am not quoting a script for them. The number is the point.

For people in construction, the Lighthouse Charity runs a 24/7 helpline. On its free support page the UK number is 0345 605 1956. The page says the helpline is free and confidential, and that it covers emotional, physical and financial wellbeing. It says it can help if you are working in construction now, or if you have worked longer in construction than in any other industry, and if you are a dependant of someone in that position. The same page says the 1:1 online chat is staffed by helpline advisors, not an automated bot, and that the chat is available 24/7. I read that page on 19 October 2026. If you are asking them for financial support, the page says to use their portal first so the process is quicker. The helpline is still the number to call if you need to talk.

Put both numbers where people can see them without having to ask out loud: 116 123 for Samaritans, and 0345 605 1956 for the Lighthouse Charity. Either number can be used by the person themselves. A mate can pass the number on. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999. This talk does not replace a GP, and it does not replace those services. What it does on this site is make it normal to say you are not all right, and to know the number before you need it.