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Health & Safety

ECA offers extensive information and advice across a broad range of contractor health and safety issues. This includes free specialist advice and industry-leading web-based information and practical tools such as eRAMS. ECA is a leading voice on health and safety with the HSE and key industry stakeholders.

Risk Assessment
Pre-Qualification Questions
Training and Competence
Occupational and Mental Health
Useful Toolbox Talks, Forms, Guides and Templates
Legislation and Reporting
Key Hazards
Building Safety - Resources

Key Topics

Risk Assessment

This section provides practical, contractor-orientated, information, guidance, templates and e-tools to help with the creation of effective health and safety risk assessments and method statements.

 

ECA risk assessment support includes eRAMS, the free risk assessment and method statement tool, and specific risk assessment templates for a range of issues such as hazardous substances and work at height. 

Pre-Qualification Questions

This section outlines how to make use of the Common Assessment Standard (CAS) and Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) during health and safety pre-qualification and provides practical advice and information on successfully engaging with pre-qualification to promote your business and help win contracts.

Training and Competence

This section covers training provision on important specific topics such as: asbestos, first-aid and face fit testing, Build UK training requirements (Build UK represents most main contractors) and relevant ECA member discounts and preferential arrangements.

Occupational and Mental Health

Occupational Health

Managing occupational health is the intent to eliminate or sufficiently control significant exposure to work-related physical or mental health hazards (e.g. noise, asbestos, excessive manual handling, or stress) and disease, and monitoring the effects on individuals as necessary’. ECA works closely with both the JIB and BESA to monitor and the number, rate and types of reportable accidents.

 

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Mental Health

According to the World Health Organization, approximately one in four people in the world will be affected by mental or neurological disorders at some point in their lives. This means that an estimated 450 million people worldwide are currently struggling with mental health issues. Many people still face stigma and discrimination when it comes to seeking help for their mental health. By raising awareness and promoting mental health resources on this page ECA can work with you to reduce this stigma and help more people get the help they need.

Useful Toolbox Talks, Forms, Guides and Templates

The following page provides access to a selection of practical documents that you can use or adapt to deliver a toolbox talk, write a policy, provide guidance, or create a health and safety related form. We have chosen the most popular areas to develop useful content for this page and it’s ordered in an easy to use table format. If you can’t find what you are looking for contact us for help and assistance.

Legislation and Reporting

ECA provides practical, competent advice and information to Members on how to meet the requirements of health and safety law. This page provides links to useful information such as a list of some of the most important health and safety legislation that applies to our sector, board and directors responsibilities and a summary of the Fire Reform Safety Order 2005.

Key Hazards

ECA works closely with the HSE and other industry partners to reduce the risk of worker exposure to asbestos in building services engineering. The danger associated with exposure to asbestos fibres has been a long-term defining health issue in our sector, and that danger remains today. This section helps Members take steps to reduce the risk of exposure to operatives, other workers, and the public.

Building Safety - Resources

The tragic loss of life in the Grenfell Tower fire in (2017) has led to sustained concern and criticism about how the UK’s higher risk buildings are procured, designed, built and maintained.

 

The recommendations of the post Grenfell Hackitt Review, along with government and industry activity, aim to fundamentally improve the competency, accountability, product standards and processes that will ensure building fire safety. 

 

This dedicated section brings together outputs (from ECA, government and industry stakeholders) likely to be of particular interest to Members operating in any part of the engineering services sector.

ECA's CAS Manual

The Common Assessment Standard (CAS) has been developed by Build UK and other industry bodies, with ECA support.  The aim of the CAS is to provide an industry recognised PQ standard, widely specified and recognised by commercial and public sector buyers. The CAS is already specified by several major building contractors and specification is likely to increase. ECA has produced guidance to help Members navigate the CAS and answer the questions.

eRAMS

eRAMS is ECA's industry leading online risk assessment and method statement service and is completely free for ECA Members.

 

A field-tested professional software solution for creating and storing all your contract Risk Assessments and Method Statements. eRAMS streamlines the process of creating risk assessments, requiring minimum effort, and providing maximum flexibility on the way to producing a ‘suitable and sufficient’ risk assessment for in-company or supply chain use.

    Partner Benefits & Schemes

    As part of ECA's aim to increase the number of ECA Members who meet ‘Safety Schemes in Procurement’ (core) health and safety criteria, exclusive discounts are available via CHAS including free first-time SSIP assessment and major discounts on renewal.

    Construction Industry Publications (CIP) specialise in stocking and publishing a range of health and safety and environmental manuals, DVDs, books and report forms from all of the leading specialist publishers including the HSE, Construction Skills and CIRIA for construction professionals, Architects, Designers, Civil Engineers and Specialist Consultants.

     

    ECA Members are entitled to 30% discount off the CIP Construction Health and Safety Manual and the CIP Construction Environmental Manual.

    Environtec is an independent environmental consultancy, specialising in asbestos risk management services in the South East of England and offer asbestos awareness training courses. ECA Members receive preferential rates for these courses as well as additional discounts for volume bookings.

    ECA Members have access to free, competent health and safety advice - by either phone or email - and exclusive preferential access to an on-site health and safety service, via KeyOstas - our preferred health and safety partner.

    The British Red Cross has agreed to partner with the ECA to provide members with high-quality certified first aid training at preferential rates.

    ECA Members receive a 10% discount for Fit2Fit Accredited on-site fit testing services or fit test training.

    Latest News Roundup

    Building Safety

    Following the tragic loss of life in the Grenfell Tower fire, the 2019 Hackett Review recommended a widespread overhaul of high risk buildings to make them safer for us all. It started with their procurement and included  the design and how they were built and maintained.

     

    Through the efforts of industry, including ECA and FSA, working with government, the Building Safety Bill went before Parliament in 2021. The Act, now enshrined in law, brings in a fundamental culture change to the way the industry operates.

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