CITB Managers Site Management Responsibilities 2

Question 1

What is the role of a site safety officer or safety adviser on a construction project?

Accepted Answer

To advise and support the management team on health and safety matters — including conducting inspections, reviewing documentation, investigating incidents, and providing guidance — but not to manage the site in place of the site manager

Answer

A safety officer or adviser supports and advises the management team — they do not replace the line management responsibility for health and safety. The site manager retains responsibility; the safety adviser provides expertise, audits, inspections, and guidance.

Question 2

A site manager wants to reduce the number of manual handling injuries on site. Which proactive approach would be most effective?

Accepted Answer

Reviewing the procurement and delivery schedule to ensure materials are delivered closer to the point of use, reducing carrying distances, combined with mechanical handling aids and toolbox talks on safe technique

Answer

A systemic approach — redesigning logistics so materials arrive closer to where they are needed, combined with mechanical aids (pallet trucks, hoists), reduces the manual handling hazard at source. Toolbox talks on technique support workers but alone are insufficient.

Question 3

Under PUWER 1998, a site manager discovers that a piece of plant is missing its machine guarding. The correct action is:

Accepted Answer

Take the plant out of service immediately and do not return it to use until the guarding is reinstated and checked by a competent person

Answer

Missing machine guarding means the equipment does not comply with PUWER 1998 and presents an immediate risk of serious injury. The plant must be taken out of service and must not be returned to use until the guarding is reinstated, adjusted, and confirmed as effective by a competent person.

Question 4

What is a 'Toolbox Talk' and how often should it be delivered?

Accepted Answer

A short, focused safety briefing delivered at or near the workplace, covering a specific hazard or topic relevant to the current work — typically delivered weekly or before starting a new or high-risk activity

Answer

Toolbox talks are brief (typically 5–15 minutes), focused safety briefings delivered to small groups of workers in or near the workplace. They address specific hazards, reinforce safe practices, and share lessons from near-misses. There is no fixed legal interval — frequency should match the risk and work programme.

Question 5

The site manager must ensure adequate first aid provision on site. Under the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, what factors determine the required level of provision?

Accepted Answer

The number of workers, the nature of the work (risk level), the location and remoteness of the site, shift patterns, and the proximity of emergency services

Answer

The First Aid Regulations require the employer to conduct a needs assessment considering: workforce size, nature of the hazards, site layout, working arrangements (shifts, remote working), and access to emergency services. Higher-risk sites with more workers and poor access to A&E require more trained first aiders and better-equipped first aid rooms.

CITB HS&E Managers Practice Test

CITB HS&E Managers Practice Test

CITB Managers Site Management Responsibilities 2