What 62 P4 Construction Audits Tell Us About the Issues That Could Be Addressed Before Work Starts
The HSE statistics give us the national picture. But they don’t necessarily tell us what those risks look like when you walk onto a construction site.
At P4, we’ve been looking at that through 62 construction audits and construction phase plan reviews.
What we’re seeing isn’t necessarily surprising. Many of the issues are familiar. What’s more interesting is how often the underlying problem starts before the work starts – in planning, preparation, contractor selection or decisions about how the work will actually be delivered.
6 themes stand out...
1. Work At Height: The Basics Still Matter
Falls from height remain one of the most significant causes of fatality in construction, and our audit findings reflect that wider picture.
One of the areas we repeatedly see issues with is low-level access equipment.
That can mean the wrong equipment has been selected, equipment hasn’t been set up correctly, inspection requirements haven’t been met, or the people using or erecting it don’t have the right competence.
We’re also seeing issues around open edges and temporary arrangements where the risks should have been identified much earlier.
The important point is that this isn’t always simply a problem that starts when someone steps onto site.
The decisions are often made earlier.
Before work starts, a Principal Contractor should be clear about:
- The right equipment and standards
- Competence
- Inspection/management
- How subcontractors will apply
It sounds basic. But getting the basics right starts with planning and preparation.
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2. Fire and Emergency Arrangements Need to Be Ready Before They're Needed
Fire arrangements can be lacking at the start of a project, particularly while a site is being established and the physical environment is changing.
A common issue is that the fire risk assessment either hasn’t been completed or isn’t subsequently reviewed as the project develops.
For us, the starting point is simple – have a fire risk assessment carried out by a competent person and make sure it is actually being used to inform the arrangements on site.
The assessment should provide the information needed to establish the appropriate controls – not sit in a folder while the project moves on.
But having the document isn’t enough.
Before work starts, the project should be clear about:
- How a fire would be detected and the alarm raised
- What firefighting arrangements are required
- How people would evacuate
- How the arrangements would be tested
- Who is responsible for maintaining them
- When the fire risk assessment needs to be reviewed.
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3. Health Needs to Be Planned into the Project
Construction is very good at identifying immediate physical risks.
Someone could fall from height. Someone could be struck by a vehicle. Someone could be injured using equipment.
But health risks can be less visible and therefore easier to overlook.
For example, if someone is using a vibrating tool or equipment that generates significant noise, the risk assessment and method statement should consider how long they can safely be exposed to that hazard and how that exposure will be controlled.
That means identifying the risk, setting appropriate limits and then checking that those limits are actually being followed.
Health surveillance also has an important role to play, including considering both general health and job-specific health risks.
The issue isn’t simply whether health is mentioned somewhere in the RAMS. It’s whether the arrangements are practical and whether they’re actually being managed.
Good planning should consider health before the work starts, rather than waiting until an issue becomes apparent.
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4. The Paperwork Can Be There – But Does it Actually Reach the Site?
This is one of the strongest themes coming through our audits.
A project can have all the right documentation, the RAMS can be completed, the construction phase plan can be in place and the relevant assessments can have been signed – but what happens when you take that paperwork out onto site?
There can be a disconnect between what the documents say should happen and what is actually happening.
That’s why our audits don’t stop at reviewing the paperwork. We look at what’s been planned and then test whether those arrangements are being implemented on site.
Take manual handling as a simple example.
A project might say it intends to reduce manual handling as far as possible. But if materials still need to be moved several floors and there is no practical arrangement for doing that, the control described in the plan isn’t necessarily translating into reality.
The same principle applies across the project – don’t just ask whether the RAMS are signed, ask whether the controls described in them are actually being carried out.
For Principal Contractors, that means reviewing subcontractor RAMS properly, considering how they fit the specific site and then checking that the agreed arrangements are being followed.
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5. Don't Overlook the Basics of Site Set-Up
Some of the things we’re finding are remarkably basic – welfare is a good example.
Are there appropriate toilet facilities for everyone on site? Are female facilities actually provided and maintained properly? Are sanitary bins available? Is there hot water? Is drinking water available?
These might not be the issues that make the headlines, but they’re basic requirements that can have a very real impact on whether a site can operate effectively.
We’ve seen situations where a lack of something as basic as hot water has resulted in a site being stopped, and site set-up isn’t something you can check once and forget.
A project might start with ten people on site and have 150 people working there six months later. If the welfare arrangements haven’t changed with the workforce, what was adequate at the start may no longer be adequate.
The same thinking applies to site access and traffic management:
- Are vehicles and pedestrians properly separated?
- Are routes and crossing points clear?
- Is site access controlled?
- Are arrangements appropriate for the way the site is actually operating?
Good site set-up is about getting the fundamentals right and keeping them right as the project changes.
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6. Contractor Management Starts Before the Work Starts
On many projects, the people actually carrying out the work aren’t direct employees of the Principal Contractor – that means you’re only as good as your supply chain.
Before appointing a subcontractor, there needs to be a proper assessment of their competence. That might include their experience, previous work, evidence of capability and other relevant information.
But contractor management doesn’t stop once the appointment has been made.
The Principal Contractor also needs to understand what the subcontractor is proposing to do, review their RAMS and make sure those arrangements work within the wider project.
Then comes the part that is often hardest – monitoring. Are they actually doing what they said they were going to do?
This is where visibility can be lost. The information exists, the RAMS have been reviewed and the subcontractor has been approved, but nobody is regularly checking what is happening on site.
Effective contractor management isn’t simply a checklist exercise. It’s about assessing, communicating, monitoring and acting when something isn’t working.
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So, what does this tell us?
Across all six areas, the same theme keeps coming back – planning and preparation matter.
Not every construction safety issue can be prevented before work starts. Projects change, conditions change and risks evolve, but many of the issues we’re seeing can be influenced much earlier.
Before Work Starts, Ask Yourself 6 Questions
Do We Understand the Significant Risks?
Not just whether they appear in the paperwork, but whether the project team understands how they will be controlled.
Are the Arrangements Practical?
Will the RAMS, controls and site arrangements actually work in the environment where the work will take place?
Are the People and Contractors Ready?
Do they have the competence, information and resources they need?
Is the Site Set Up Properly?
Are welfare, access, emergency arrangements and other basic controls ready from the outset?
How Will We Know it’s Working?
Are there clear inspection, assurance and follow-up arrangements once work begins?
What Happens When Something isn’t Working?
Is there clear ownership and a process for addressing issues rather than simply recording them?
There isn’t one intervention that will solve construction safety. But across all six areas, the same theme keeps coming back: problems are easier to address when they’re identified early.
These questions broadly reflect the areas covered by the P4 PCS Construction Safety Health Check, which looks at leadership and governance, risk management, site performance and assurance, competence, communication, contractor and supply-chain management and improvement.
How Confident Are You in Your Current Construction Safety Performance?
The P4 Construction Safety Health Check is designed to give you a practical sense-check of your current health and safety arrangements, performance and capability.
It’s not a formal audit or compliance assessment, it’s a way of identifying where you have confidence and where you may need greater visibility, assurance or support.
About the insight
This article draws on findings from 62 P4 construction audits and construction phase plan reviews, alongside the latest HSE construction statistics.