CONSTRUCTION - 03.06.2020

Pedestrian struck by site hoarding

Refurbishment

In 2018, as part of the work to refurbish a branch of H&M in Hammersmith, a contractor erected a temporary hoarding to segregate the site from the adjacent public footpath. On 11 October 2018 this hoarding fell over onto the pavement. It struck a passer-by leaving her unconscious with serious injuries, including a fractured pelvis.

Following an HSE investigation, Powells Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 19(2)Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM) . The regulation states: “Any buttress, temporary support or temporary structure must be of such design and installed and maintained so as to withstand any foreseeable loads which may be imposed on it” . The company was fined £100,000 with costs of £6,688.

Temporary structures

A hoarding is just one example of temporary works (TW) on a construction site; other examples are shuttering, access scaffolds and shoring for excavations. In most cases TW enable the permanent works to take place but are removed after use. A hoarding is made of sheet materials, and is erected around the perimeter of construction sites in order to hide the site from view, protect the public from various hazards, including noise and dust, and provide security. Although the hoarding is a safety feature, it can also be hazardous, as shown by this and other high-profile cases.

Tip. It’s important that whenever such a structure is installed, thought goes into planning its design and installation to ensure that it is stable, secure, and supported.

What’s required?

The HSE warns that the temporary nature of such structures can result in a casual attitude to their design, construction and maintenance, despite the fact that the CDM “designer” duties apply in full to their construction. This means that the individual or company which specifies the features of a hoarding must eliminate, reduce or control foreseeable risks through design. The designer appointed to this role must be competent. In other words, it’s not a case of buying in a quantity of materials and asking site operatives to cobble something together.

Tip 1. Design effort should be proportionate. Although the CDM design responsibilities apply, this doesn’t mean that hoardings necessarily require load calculations and detailed technical drawings. However, there needs to be sufficient consideration of the loads expected, including those applied by strong winds. Certainly, a simple drawing and specification of materials is expected. Liaise with the principal designer for the project to ensure that they are satisfied with the plans.

Tip 2. On larger sites it’s usual to appoint a temporary works co-ordinator, described in British Standard 5975 . However, the HSE says this isn’t necessary where the TW are relatively simple: you just need to ensure that they are properly managed.

Tip 3. After construction of hoardings, ensure they are inspected for compliance with the planned design and are re-inspected regularly, including after any event which could weaken them.