On a site there may be many workers of various trades and contractors working for different contractors. A practical system was needed to improve control and co-ordination of contractors engaged to carryout building work, in order to control accidents and comply with construction site safety regulations - in particular to control access to sites and ensure that everyone on site had received training. A colour-coding system is used to identify which people have received the training and are authorised to be on site.

The task

On a site there may be many workers of various trades and contractors working for different contractors. There was no means of identifying which staff worked for which contractor and whether they were trained and authorised to be in certain areas of the site.

The risk

The specific site orientation training was often not provided for contractors or authorised visitors on sites. It was also found to be difficult to identify who had actually received the training due to the turnover of workers employed by specialist contractors, who often replace staff on site at short notice due, for example, to sickness or absence, in order to comply with their contractual obligations.

The solution and the methodology

A practical system was needed to improve control and co-ordination of contractors engaged to carryout building work, in order to control accidents and comply with construction site safety regulations - in particular to control access to sites and ensure that everyone on site had received training.

Each person has to participate in the site orientation training, prior to being allowed access to the site. This comprises of a colour-coding system. This is used to identify which people have received the training and are authorised to be on site. Following the site orientation training each person/group is required to wear their specific colour-coded tag while on site and return them each time they leave the site. The colour-coded tags identify and distinguish each contractor and group of trade persons. The colour-coded tags are also numbered to denote the name, trade and designation of each worker and visitor to each site. In this way they indicate which areas of the site a person may enter. This provides the site manager with a system that is simple to operate. Visual inspections by site management can be used to quickly spot any workers or visitors who are in areas of the site where they are not authorised to be. The colour-coded system also helps the site supervisor to ensure the completion of certain work activities before others start which can be important for safety, as the coding allows them to check which building operations are taking place.

Effectiveness of results

The colour-coding system has proved to be very successful. It is simple to set up and manage and requires a minimum amount of paperwork. It has resulted in a reduction in number and severity of accidents and a reduction in damage to plant and equipment. During 1996, a period of 92 056 hours was worked on construction projects without a lost time accident. It has assisted in improving the safety culture by demonstrating management’s commitment to good health and safety practices. This has also helped to improve industrial relations and staff morale. The system also assists in the management of site security as unauthorised persons on site are recognisable due to their lack of colour-coded identification tags.

Involvement of the workers

Each person has to participate in the site orientation training, prior to being allowed access to the site. The site orientation training packages were developed by the organisation’s occupational health and safety service and are based on the specific risk assessments for each site. Supervisors must receive training and instruction in the delivery of such training. A documentation system records who has received training.