Top 10 Mistakes Construction Companies Make When Acting As PSCS
Appointing a company to act as the Project Supervisor Construction Stage (PSCS) is a big decision. If you have been entrusted with this responsibility, it is important to understand your obligations to coordinate health and safety throughout the construction stage.
The statutory duties of the PSCS role are laid out in the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013, and these offer a clear guideline to follow in order to avoid delays, financial loss and danger to life. At ASM, we work with construction companies in Ireland to enable them to deliver higher standards in the PSCS role. Here, we’ll take a look at common mistakes made in this role and how to avoid them.
Common Mistakes Made By PSCS
We regularly encounter examples of poor practice, and we believe that highlighting these can help you to avoid them! The top ten mistakes made by construction companies include:
1. Failing to understand the role. Construction companies often accept the PSCS role without fully understanding the responsibility they are taking on, and may even assume that it simply involves an extension of site management duties. The PSCS role is, in fact, a legally defined coordination role, and this must be understood from the outset. Formal training on the PSCS role helps to clarify the legal responsibilities of the role and the standards of documentation required, and enables companies to avoid the gaps in compliance and documentation that can be costly, both to profits and to reputations.
2. Poor communication between contractors. Poor communication between the contractors on a construction site can have dire consequences, and training in the PSCS role can help to prevent this. High-quality training helps to ensure that there is structured communication between the trades and that high-risk activities receive the space and respect they require. The chain of command will be clearly established, and tasks will be clearly sequenced, preventing communication breakdowns that can be catastrophic.
3. Insufficient Safety and Health Plan. For each project, a new Construction Stage Safety and Health Plan should be completed to ensure compliance with all relevant legislation. This project-specific safety plan should be created before work begins and should include full risk assessments, especially for high-risk tasks such as heavy lifting, working in confined spaces and working at height. The plan should be updated as conditions on site change, and this aims to protect construction workers and those managing the site.
4. Poor communication on site. We have already covered the difficulties with communication between contractors, but it is also vital to understand the nature of communication breakdown on the construction site and the potential problems this can lead to. For instance, language barriers can be problematic if safety instructions are not adequate for understanding, and visual aids and multi-lingual instructions can help to ensure clear communication here. Looking at potential difficulties in this way can enable you to troubleshoot and solve problems before they arise, improving health and safety standards throughout your organisation. Thorough and consistent site inductions can prevent many safety issues from arising, and this will be a key part of your PSCS training programme.
5. Inadequate record keeping. Inadequate record keeping can leave your organisation open to reputational damage, and this is an easy area in which to make improvements. Your safety file and records should be kept up to date, with a clear chain of command and a documentation checklist that can be used throughout. This is a good indication of professionalism and helps to ensure legal compliance, demonstrating that your organisation is proactive and forward-thinking, rather than simply reacting to situations as they arise.
6. Failure to notify. Failure to notify relevant authorities and obtain correct permits can be devastating for a business, and PSCS training will ensure that you do not make these simple mistakes. For tasks such as deep excavations, demolitions and structural changes to a building, you will likely be required to carry out extensive risk assessments and submit the correct permits, as well as ensure full supervision is in place. This is a very important way to protect your business and the people who work for you.
7. Failing to vet subcontractors thoroughly. Did you know that subcontractors are often appointed without rigorous checks being carried out? This means that their safety training and insurance may be invalid, and they may have a history of poor safety standards. Implementing systems to ensure the correct qualifications and certification is essential, and you should always practice due diligence in this area.
8. Lack of training. Even experienced site managers require additional training to take on the PSCS role, particularly to keep up to date with changes in regulations and legal requirements. Comprehensive training is essential in order to fully understand the obligations of the role and build confidence in managers.
9. Reactive Management. Organisations that are forward-thinking and take a proactive role in managing safety generally perform much better in health and safety comparisons, and this is particularly important in the PSCS role. If issues are only addressed when incidents occur, the risk is much higher, and a proactive approach is vital to reduce incidents and protect your reputation.
10. Lack of commitment. When a company in the PSCS role is not fully trained in the responsibilities of this position, it is more likely that safety will be seen as a box-ticking exercise rather than an opportunity to embed exemplary practice and the highest safety standards throughout a project. Commitment from the highest levels of management tends to ‘trickle down’ through an organisation, and investment in ongoing training is a key element in this.
At ASM, we are committed to providing training that keeps workers safer and builds trust throughout organisations. A PSCS role is very demanding and requires legal knowledge, commitment and excellent record keeping.
Professional Health and Safety Training at ASM
Here at ASM, we deliver a range of safety training that can help to protect your business and your staff team. We offer specialist training for high-risk roles, and standardised courses such as Safe Pass and Basic First Aid. We can tailor our training to suit your setup, so call our experienced team today to find out more.
