We will assist the group in obtaining this information and then bring this information together in a full and comprehensive PCI ‘pack’. This efficient process will save time and money by having everything collated and requested in one go. Safer Sphere will attend various design and project meetings to share the most up to date information as effective communication is key to any successful project.  

The pre-construction information is initially prepared or made available by the Client with assistance from us for distribution to the Designers. Once all the relevant information has been supplied, Safer Sphere will put together the completed pre-construction information and distribute this out to the relevant project teams. 

The Principal Contractor’s Construction Phase Plan (CPP) is developed on design Health and Safety information provided as part of PCI, and any existing Health and Safety File. As part of our Principal Designer Role, Safer Sphere will ensure design Health and Safety risks identified by the design team are addressed in the CPP to promote good site Health and Safety management. Throughout the construction phase, Safer Sphere will liaise with the Principal Contractor on any design Health and Safety matter. 

If a Health and Safety File does not already exist or needs updating, Safer Sphere will produce this.  

We will work with the project team to obtain a variety of information from various sources such as Asbestos reports. They key people we will work with and coordinate information with are: 

Designers – Designers Risk Assessments are key factors when preparing the Health and Safety File as they will contain an indication of any residual risks associated with the design. 

The Principal Contractor – The information required by the Principal Contractor will contain the construction sequences for the work and will also detail the materials and any substances. 

Architect – information on the overall description, the concept of the building, use and context. Provide access, cleaning and maintenance strategies for the building.  

Structural Engineers – Information provided by Engineers will contain vital details of load-bearing structures, demolition strategy, imposes loadings on floors, guardrails and the details of the location and foundations. 

Building Services Engineers – These specialists will have details of plant and equipment, replacement, operating and maintenance manuals, location of services etc. 

Specialist Contractors – These Contractors will have specialist details on various items such as weight loading, cleaning methods etc. 

As Principal Designer, we will coordinate the information to ensure that it is included in the Health and Safety File. A structured Health and Safety file will be produced in an agreed format and securely distributed to the relevant members of the project team.  

A Health and Safety File information tracker is assembled to identify the parties responsible for the relevant information. As the project progresses, as designs and packages of work are completed the information for the File is requested, obtained, reviewed and accepted to the “live” Health and Safety File. On completion, the finalised File is transferred from the Principal Designer to the Client for their ongoing management, maintenance, and operation of the structure.  

During the pre-construction and construction phases the Health and Safety File (File) is prepared, developed, updated and issued at project construction completion. From Safer Sphere’s initial and ongoing engagement with the design/project team, file requirements will be highlighted, in particular, the need for detailed access, cleaning, maintenance and replacement strategies, etc. File compilation and progress status is identified and managed through the Safer Sphere Health and Safety File Information Tracker which identifies File info requirements, the provider, issue status, review status, and acceptance status.  

Safer Sphere will assess the Principal Contractor’s Construction Phase Plan (CPP) and report to the Client regarding the completeness of the CPP and whether it is sufficient to allow works to commence on site. In addition, a Safer Sphere Welfare and Site Setup Assessment (utilising I-Auditor), is undertaken as soon as site set up is complete. 

Safer Sphere also offer a wide range of site and Workplace Health and Safety audits and inspections services using bespoke Safer Sphere I-Auditor proformas. As we do for many of our CDM Clients, we offer site Health and Safety inspection to monitor Principal Contractors performance and site Health and Safety standards. Site inspections allow non-conformances and remedial actions identifications, and I-Auditor allows analysis of issues/trends at the individual project level and across a Client’s portfolio. This site monitoring service allows Safer Sphere to identify Health and Safety compliance issues and promote industry ‘best practice’.  

A site inspection schedule will be drawn up for the regular audits/inspections. Any additional audits that are required will be communicated and planned in. Following the inspections/audits, Safer Sphere will produce a compressive report which will be sent and discussed to identify any potential improvements as well as praising good practices. Safer Sphere will provide support to the contractor where necessary and assist workers and employees with safer working measures. Our reports can be as detailed or as simple as required and are very clear, concise and easy to understand. A standard report would include, what has been inspected, whether improvements are required and will contain practical advice and images of the observations made on the day as evidence.  

Safer Sphere utilises an auditing engine application whereby we can apply any number of audit templates to the software. It is our intention to agree on the content of the audit and finalise a specific template. The application is I-Auditor which can be placed on mobile devices and will produce a report based on the information inputted by our consultant during any walkarounds.    

The report is then signed by the inspector and the escorting contractor site manager that all is a true record of the inspection. The reports highlight both good and bad practices, giving a percentage scoring for the site in each category and an overall. I-Auditor was utilised to prepare the above-noted report, and the great news is, the report is issued before even leaving the site. 

Safer Sphere has a number of risk assessments established for common construction tasks and operations. We can also develop, in conjunction with contractors, specific construction risk assessments for particular activities in order to provide Medicines Discover Catapult with a database of relevant assessment. Safer Sphere can also review existing risk assessments to establish any betterment in search of best practice and continual improvement. 

Our consultants will review all the documentation relating to a site’s health and safety prior to the site visit to understand the development/project and what RIBA stage the project is up.  

Once we arrive on site we will meet with the contractor and explain our role and how we can support him/her with the safety on the site. We will then obtain a brief overview of the site, such as timescales and stages and ascertain any safety concerns that the contractor already has. We will then ask to be escorted around the site, noting down our observations and chatting with workers during the inspection. We feel that it is important to engage with the workers on site whilst we carry out the audit and provide helpful suggestions and safety advice as well as providing praise and general chat to ensure that they feel comfortable. 

The site appraisal will advise relevant parties whether the site is safe and look at any potential site risks such as supervision, welfare facilities, employee PPE etc. If an issue is spotted, we will endeavour to get that issue corrected there and then as a corrective measure whilst still noting down the issue in the report. Once the inspection has taken place, we would discuss the findings in a meeting directly afterwards and check any relevant paperwork and documentation relevant to the audit. The report will then be agreed and sent to the contractor and Medicines Discovery Catapult on the same day, clearly stating any issues, concerns and preventative measures taken. As Health and Safety Consultants, we have the ability to check worker competency on site including contractor competency, however, we feel that role would not necessarily call for this unless specifically needed or requested by Medicines Discovery Catapult. However, should an issue arise during the audit that could be caused from a lack of resources on site for example, then we would look at the competency of the contractor and whether they are qualified and experienced enough to deliver the role. We aim to gain the trust of all the contractors so that they will work with us and see that we are there to help improve safety on the site not to catch them out. We use the ‘Plan, Do, Check, Act’ approach to site inspections which means that we want to improve safety and fix the negatives. We do not want to see re-occurring themes in audits and want to remedy these issues before they escalate. We will review the previous audit before the next audit and also review this with the contractor to show areas of improvement and to identify continued risks.  

Our end reports that you will receive will contain any issues along with proof of these issues in the form of photographic evidence. Safer Sphere will not just comment on the things that the contractor is doing right in the report or things that need to be improved but we will also advise and guide through best practice as a way of prevention. We will look at control measures to minimise risks on site and look at any risk that could cause injury or ill health. Any site that is deemed a concern will be monitored closely and with full disclosure. We will work with the contractor and site representatives to ensure the site is brought back up to a safe standard and maintained to avoid any potential injuries or any action being taken by the HSE in the form of enforcement notices during any HSE site checks.  

We aim to help you ensure that your sites are safe, and prevention is key to this. In the unfortunate instance that an incident or accident occurs on site, Safer Sphere will be there to conduct an Accident and Incident Investigation and report back on your behalf. Our trained investigators will compile a comprehensive investigation pack complete with any necessary evidence to enable any areas of improvement to prevent reoccurrences. We can also provide assistance in reporting of RIDDOR reportable incidents, injuries or occurrences. If an incident occurs, we undergo a deep investigation and conduct a root cause analysis. The root cause of any accident/incident is the most basic cause that can reasonably be identified. 

The root cause analysis will: