Health, Safety & Compliance

Risk assessments and method statements

Site-specific RAMS are prepared for every project and issued to the principal contractor for review before mobilisation. They are written for the actual site — its access, its sequence and its hazards — rather than reissued from a template with the address changed.

Where the scope or site conditions change, RAMS are revised, re-issued and re-briefed to the operatives carrying out the work.

Briefing, induction and permits

Operatives attend the site induction and are briefed on the RAMS before starting work. Toolbox talks are delivered on relevant topics through the course of the project and recorded.

We work within the principal contractor's permit systems — hot works, working at height, confined space, isolations and roof access — and will not proceed on activities that require a permit until it is in place.

Working at height and access equipment

Most ductwork installation is work at height. Access is planned in advance: MEWPs, mobile towers, podiums or fixed scaffold selected for the task, with operatives holding the relevant IPAF and PASMA certification and equipment inspected and recorded.

Exclusion zones, edge protection and drop prevention for tools and materials are set out in the RAMS.

Manual handling and material movement

Duct sections are awkward, sharp-edged and often heavy. Mechanical aids and team-lift arrangements are planned into the method, and personnel receive manual handling training appropriate to their duties.

COSHH and asbestos awareness

Substances used on site — sealants, adhesives, coatings — are assessed under COSHH with assessments available on site and controls briefed to operatives.

Relevant personnel hold current asbestos awareness training. Where work is in existing buildings, we require sight of the asbestos register or refurbishment and demolition survey before starting, and we stop and report if suspect material is encountered.

PPE and housekeeping

Standard site PPE is supplemented by task-specific protection — cut-resistant gloves for sheet metal handling, eye and hearing protection for cutting and fixing operations.

Work areas are cleared progressively. Offcuts, packaging and waste are removed rather than accumulated, which is both a safety measure and a visible indicator of how a contractor operates.

CDM and construction-phase coordination

We understand and discharge our duties as a contractor under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, providing the information required by the principal designer and principal contractor and cooperating with the construction phase plan.

Quality control, inspection and documentation

Installation is inspected progressively against the specification and the approved drawings. Fire stopping and penetration works are recorded as they are completed rather than reconstructed at handover.

Completion documentation — installation records, product data, test results where applicable and as-installed information — is provided for inclusion in the project O&M manuals.