Adjacent Use
Hazard Related Topics
The use of the areas adjacent to the site should be identified.
Structures
Identify and describe the effect that works will have on adjacent structures such as the foundations of buildings / party walls / roads / railways / bridges / water courses / dams / embankments or retaining walls. Define any safety measures required.
Excavations
All practicable steps shall be taken, where necessary to prevent danger to any person, including, where necessary, the provision of supports or battering, to ensure that any excavation or part of an excavation does not collapse;
Environmental restrictions and existing on-site risks
Safety hazards, include:
- boundaries and access, including temporary access - for example
narrow streets, lack of parking, turning or storage space, - any restrictions on deliveries or waste collection or storage,
- adjacent land uses - for example schools, railway lines or busy roads,
Infrastructure
Roads, railways, waterways, airports. These should be examined in relation to their suitability for site traffic and also to ascertain whether construction activities will impinge upon them or the operations which take place on them.
Arrangements for controlling significant site risks
Safety risks, include:
- delivery and removal of materials (including waste*) and work equipment taking account of any risks to the public, for example during access to or egress from the site,
- dealing with services - water, electricity and gas, including overhead powerlines and temporary electrical installations,
- accommodating adjacent land use,
There can only be one principal contractor for a project at any one time. However, sometimes two or more projects take place on a site at the same time. This can occur if different clients commission adjacent work, or if a client procures two truly independent, unrelated packages of work which do not rely upon one another for their viability or completion.
Co-operation and co-ordination
Good co-operation and co-ordination of work between all of the parties involved in a project is essential if risks are to be identified early on and properly controlled. Principal contractors should take the lead and actively encourage cooperation and co-ordination between contractors from an early stage. A team approach involving the client, designers, contractors and even manufacturers who work closely together will often produce the best results. This allows the client, designers, contractors and facilities management experts, together, to identify the best solution for the client's needs, taking account of the practicalities of construction work, maintenance and use. Even on projects where it is not practical to formally establish an integrated team, the client, designer, contractors and others involved in the project still need to work together.
If there are other projects on the same or neighbouring sites (for example adjacent units on the same industrial estate) then the co-operation and coordination needs to extend to those involved with such projects. If this need can be identified early on, the risks that one project may cause for the other can also be identified and addressed in the early stages of project planning. If potential problems are not identified until the actual work has started they can be much more difficult to address.
Additional duties for notifiable projects
In the case of notifiable projects, contractors must also:
- check that a Principal Designer has been appointed and HSE notified before they start work (having a copy of the notification of the project to HSE [form 10, see Schedule 1], is normally sufficient);
- co-operate with the principal contractor, principal designer and others working on the project or adjacent sites;
Relevant Legislation