Construction – Building Industry Safety and Good Lifts by CIF

Construction Industry Federation (CIF) actively represents and serves over 3,000 members covering businesses in all areas of the Irish construction industry through a network of 13 Branches in 3 Regions throughout Ireland and through its 37 Sectoral Associations.
CIF delivers its services to members either directly or through its Branch Network and Sectoral Associations. Member firms come from all over sectors of the industry and span all sizes of firms from the very small to the very large. The 37 different Associations are grouped in four key categories:
General Contractors, mechanical & electrical, How To Become A Building Contractor specialist contractors, home builders
Each local CIF Branch will include members Handyman Roof Repair Near Me from each of these four sectors.
CIF’s team of construction experts know the industry from experience, from member feedback and from research. As a member you too can benefit from our problem solving expertise.
What they Do
The CIF engages with Government, professional groups, business groups and the social partners on our members’ behalf. They monitor issues and trends, initiate proposals and act in our members’ interests at local, national and EU levels.
13 Branches
Represent members at local level throughout Ireland. Branch members and dedicated regional staff deal with issues affecting their localities and regions. They contribute to national policies through representation on the Federations Executive Body.
37 Associations
Represent general contracting, house building and specialist firms in Ireland’s construction industry providing a forum for members to develop initiatives and deal with problems affecting each sector of the industry.
CIF Safety Services assist members in implementing best safety and health practices for the prevention of accidents. CIF Safety Services provides an extensive range of advice on Safety, Health and Welfare issues and also presents training courses designed specifically for the Irish Construction Industry as well as individual member company needs.
Public Consultation – Draft Working on Roads Code of Practice for Contractors with Three or Less Employees
The Health and Safety Authority has developed a draft Working on Roads Code of Practice for Contractors with Three or Less Employees which it intends to publish in accordance with section 60 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (No. 10 of 2005).
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 requires all employers to have a safety statement for all workplaces which is based on written risk assessments. This Code of Practice allows employers, who employ up to three people and are engaged in road works, to meet the legal requirement to have a safety statement in a simple and easy way.
This Code of Practice is based on the Health and Safety Authority’s Safe System of Work Plans (SSWP). The SSWP relies heavily on pictograms to explain and clarify hazards and controls, thus creating a wordless document where safety can be communicated to all workers regardless of literacy or language skills.
At present there are five SSWP for employers to use; each one covers typical construction activities: Ground Works; House Building; Demolition; New Commercial Buildings and Civil Engineering. These SSWP are covered by the Code of Practice for Contractors with Three or Less Employees published in 2008.
This supplementary Code of Practice deals specifically with the Working on Roads SSWP. This code of practice can be used by any trade engaged in road works.
Operation of Passenger and Goods Lifts
Following a recent fatal accident involving operation of a goods lift, the Health and Safety Authority is asking all employers to ensure that the lifts on their premises have undergone the necessary thorough examination by a competent HSAA would advise all employers in all sectors that passenger and goods lifts including pavement hoists and dumb waiters, are subject to requirements set out in chapter 2 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations, [S.I No.299 and 732 of 2007].Lifts must have a periodic thorough examination by a competent person every 6 months. Reports of such examinations shall be kept available for inspection by a HSA inspector. All repairs required to lifts must also be carried out by a competent person. Under no circumstances should goods lifts be used for carrying passengers unless they meet all the requirements for passenger lifts. All employees should be clearly instructed on the dangers of inappropriate use of goods lifts.Lifts which are not designed for lifting persons shall be clearly marked to this effect. Employers are required to maintain a register of lifting equipment which shall also be kept available for inspection by a HSA inspector. Employers who currently have either passenger or goods lifts on their premises should ensure that they have undergone the required thorough examination and that the risks associated with the use of such lifts are addressed in the Safety Statement to ensure that these risks are controlled.
ETCI News
Electro-Technical council of Ireland (ETCI) launched its new publication ET215:2008 ‘Guide to the Maintenance, Inspection and Testing of Portable Equipment (Electrical Appliances and Tools) in the Workplace. This Guide is intended to help employers meet their statutory duties in this regard. The Guide is available as a free download.