Every construction project has to be planned and occupational safety has to be part of that planning.
From the implementation of the Health and Safety Plan to the obligations of the owner and the contractor, everything has to be well thought out in order to achieve a job with guaranteed health and safety.
Obligations of the developer:
The developer must:
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Appoint project and on-site safety coordinators if the project is drawn up by more than one person or if two or more companies are to be involved in the execution of the work;
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The owner of the work must draw up or have drawn up the Health and Safety Plan to guarantee the health and safety of all those involved on site, and it must be reformulated in line with the evolution of the project.
It must be drawn up for works that are subject to a project and involve work that entails special risks or prior notification of the opening of the construction site; -
In the case of work for which a health and safety plan is not mandatory, but which involves special risks, the executing entity must draw up safety procedure sheets so that the workers involved in the work are aware of them;
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You must notify the ACT -Autoridade para as Condições de Trabalho (Authority for Working Conditions) of the opening when it is foreseeable that the execution of the work will involve one of the following situations: a total period of more than 30 days and the simultaneous use of more than 20 workers or a total of more than 500 working days, corresponding to the sum of the working days provided by each of the workers.
Obligations of the Performing Entity
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Developing, implementing and disseminating to workers the Health and Safety Plan or the safety procedure sheets for the execution of the work and identifying the risks and defining the appropriate preventive measures, ensuring compliance by all those involved;
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Comply with and enforce compliance by its subcontractors (and their workers) as well as self-employed workers with the legislation relating to safety on site;
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Take the necessary measures for the proper organization and management of the construction site, including the organization of the emergency system;
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Organize an up-to-date register of subcontractors and self-employed workers working on the site and ensure that access to the site is reserved for authorized persons only;
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Collaborate with the owner of the work, his representatives and the site safety coordinator, complying with their directives and providing the information and documents necessary to update and prepare the documentation required by law.
Workers’ obligations:
Workers are obliged to respect the principles aimed at promoting health and safety:
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Comply, insofar as they are applicable, with the obligations established by the employer;
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Cooperate in the application of the specific provisions established for the construction site, respecting the instructions of the on-site safety coordinator and the executing entity.
