Performance of the construction site safety coordinator

The builder (investor) is obliged to determine the necessary number of occupational safety and health coordinators on the construction site, taking into account the scope and complexity of the work and its demanding coordination requirements in the preparation and execution phases.

Therefore, all contracting authorities of construction works for which a final building permit or notification of construction will be issued and which will be carried out by more than one contractor are obliged to establish the function of an OSH coordinator on the construction site. According to the opinion of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs - Department of Occupational Safety and Health, it is considered to be factually incorrect that the award of a contract to a "general contractor" for a construction project implies, from the point of view of the builder (investor), that it is a construction project carried out by a single contractor. What is decisive is the actual state of affairs and therefore the number of undertakings involved in the construction, not the form of contractual relations between the contracting authority and the contractor and between the chain of other subcontractors in the construction, as is the prevailing practice today.

The activity of the OSH coordinator is necessary already during the preparation of the construction, especially during the preparation of the project documentation according to the Decree on documentation of buildings No. 499/2006 Coll., Annex No. 1 - E. Principles of construction organisation - point h) determination of the conditions for the implementation of the construction from the point of view of health and safety, occupational health and safety plan on the construction site according to the Act on ensuring other conditions of occupational health and safety (Section 15 of Act No. 309/2006 Coll.). During the implementation phase, the coordinator shall ensure the activities provided for in Section 18(2) of Act No 309/2006 Coll.

1. In preparation for construction

   • providing an overview of the legal regulations relating to occupational safety and health (hereinafter referred to as OHS) and to the specific construction, information on the risks that may occur during the construction (with regard to work and activities that expose a natural person to increased risk to life or health) and other documents necessary to ensure a safe and health-safe working environment and conditions of work performance that must be taken into account with regard to the nature of the construction and its implementation; the overview can be included in the prepared Occupational Health and Safety Plan for the construction site (hereinafter referred to as the OSH Plan)
   • provide the client, the designer and the contractor (if already designated) or any other person with any additional information on the safety and health risks known to and affecting their activities
   • preparation for the client, in accordance with the parameters of Section 15, Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Act No. 309/2006 Coll., of an Occupational Health and Safety Plan for the construction site (OHS Plan), so that it is fully executed to ensure safe and health-safe work
   • elaboration of suggestions and recommendations for technical solutions and organisational measures that are suitable in terms of ensuring a safe and health-safe working environment and conditions of work performance for the planning of individual works carried out simultaneously or in conjunction with each other
   • expert advice and recommendations concerning the provision of safe and healthy work, estimates of the length of time required to carry out the planned work or activities, taking into account specific measures
   • ensuring that the OSH Plan contains data, information and procedures drawn up in the detail necessary to ensure safe and health-safe work and that it is agreed by all contractors, if known at the time of preparation of the OSH Plan

2. During the execution of the construction

   • notification of the commencement of construction work to the Labour Inspectorate for the Capital City of Prague
   • informing all affected contractors of the safety and health risks that have arisen on the construction site during the progress of the works
   • drawing the attention of the construction contractor to deficiencies in the application of occupational safety and health requirements found at the workplace taken over by the construction contractor and requiring remedial action, proposing appropriate measures (also in the OHS Plan)
   • reporting to the client in cases where remedial action has not been promptly taken by the contractor despite discussion and written notification
   • co-ordinating the co-operation of contractors in taking OSH measures, taking into account the nature of the construction and the general principles of risk prevention and the activities carried out on the site
   • at the contractor's request, recommend technical solutions or OSH measures for establishing work procedures and planning the safe execution of work to be carried out at the same time or immediately following each other
   • cooperate in determining the time required for the safe execution of individual works or activities
   • monitoring the execution of works on site for compliance with the requirements of the OSH Plan
   • cooperation with the OSH representatives of the employees, with the relevant trade unions and with the technical supervisor of the builder
   • participation in inspections of the construction site to which the coordinator (or the builder) has been invited by the building authority or an authorised inspector
   • designing and organising the dates of inspection days to ensure compliance with the OSH Plan on behalf of the client (builder) and ensuring the participation of the contractor and persons authorised by the contractor to participate in the inspection days
   • conducting regular inspections on the construction site, from which a record of the identified OSH deficiencies will be made in the form of a daily report with inserted photo documentation with frequency according to the scope and complexity of the construction (form FM15 OSH, OHS and OHS inspection report)
   • alerting the contractor to serious deficiencies by making an entry in the construction logbook or other written document and recording whether and how the deficiencies have been rectified
   • preparing periodic reports at the end of each month (FM15 HSE Status Report for the previous month (form to be annexed to the contract) and FM15 Monthly Accident Statistics (form to be annexed to the contract))

3. Outputs during execution

   • overview of legislation related to occupational health and safety
   • information on risks
   • OSH plan
   • FM15 HSE inspection report on site (form to be annexed to the contract)
   • FM15 Report on the status of OHS and Environmental Protection for the past month (form to be attached to the contract)
   • FM15 Monthly accident statistics (form will be attached to the contract)