Coordination for safety at construction sites

sicurezza nei luoghi di lavoro

The coordination for safety in temporary and mobile construction sites is regulated in Italy by Legislative Decree 81/08 – Title IV and subsequent amendments, in Europe by Directive 89/391 EC.

The provisions contained in this Decree are not applied to:

a) prospecting, research and cultivation of mineral substances;
b) work carried out in plants connected to existing mining activities within the perimeter of research permits, concessions or authorizations;
c) the work carried out in the plants that make up the mine’s appurtenances: internal or external fixed systems, wells, tunnels, as well as machinery, equipment and tools intended for mining the mine, works and systems intended for the enrichment of minerals, even if located outside the perimeter of the concessions;
d) crushing, screening, squaring and transporting products from the quarries and loading operations of such products from the yards;
e) the activities of prospecting, research, cultivation and storage of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in the national territory, in the territorial sea and in the continental shelf and in other underwater areas subject to the powers of the State;
f) work carried out at sea;
g) to activities carried out in theatrical, film, television studios or in other places where filming takes place, provided that such activities do not involve the setting up of a temporary or mobile construction site;
h) work relating to electrical systems, computer networks, gas, water, air conditioning and heating, as well as small jobs whose estimated duration does not exceed ten man-days, aimed at the construction or maintenance of service infrastructures, which do not expose workers to the risks referred to in Annex XI;
i), to the activities referred to in the legislative decree 27 July 1999, n. 272, which do not involve construction or civil engineering works referred to in Annex X.

For activities that are not included in this list and more specifically for temporary and mobile construction sites, there is an obligation for the client to appoint a safety coordinator during the design and execution phases of the work.

We are able to carry out the task relating to both of these figures; in particular:

– the coordinator for safety during design (CSP) and in any case before the request for submission of offers must:

  • draw up the safety and coordination plan (PSC);
  • prepares a dossier, with the exception of routine maintenance, adapted to the characteristics of the work and containing useful information for the purposes of prevention and protection from the risks to which workers are exposed;
  • coordinates the applicability of architectural, technical and organizational choices, in order to plan the various works or work phases that will take place simultaneously or subsequently.
  • verifies the technical-professional suitability, in relation to the operational safety plan (POS) drawn up by the employer of the executing company;

– the safety coordinator in the execution phase (CSE) of the work must:

  • verify, with appropriate coordination and control actions, the application, by the contracting companies and self-employed workers, of the relevant provisions contained in the PSC, where applicable, and the correct application of the related work procedures;
  • verify the suitability of the POS, to be considered as a complementary detailed plan of the PSC;
  • ensure consistency with the latter, where required, by adapting the PSC, and the work file in relation to the progress of the work and any changes that have occurred;
  • evaluate the proposals of the contracting companies aimed at improving safety on site;
  • verify that the contracting companies adapt, if necessary, the respective POS;
  • organize cooperation and coordination of activities among employers, including self-employed workers, as well as their mutual information;
  • verify the implementation of the provisions in the agreements between the social partners in order to achieve coordination between safety representatives aimed at improving safety on site;
  • report to the client or the project supervisor, upon written notification to the companies and self-employed workers concerned, the non-compliance with the provisions of the law and the provisions of the PSC, where applicable, and proposes the suspension of the works, the removal of the companies or workers autonomous from the yard, or the termination of the contract.
  • communicate to the local health authority (ASL) and to the provincial labor management with territorial jurisdiction in the event that the client or the project manager does not take any measures regarding the aforementioned report, without providing suitable reasons;
  • suspends, in the event of serious and imminent danger, directly encountered, the individual processes until verification of the adjustments made by the companies concerned.