CIDB Green Card (e-SICW) cheat sheet

Hierarchy of control order (most to least effective): eliminate, substitute, engineering controls, administrative controls, PPE. PPE is the last line of defence.

Employer core duties under OSH law: provide a safe workplace, safe plant and systems of work, information/instruction/training/supervision, and monitoring of health where risks require it.

Worker duties: take reasonable care of self and others, follow safe systems and instructions, report hazards and incidents, do not misuse safety equipment or PPE.

Risk assessment formula: Risk = likelihood x severity. Residual risk must be reduced to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP).

Duty holders typically include employer, self-employed persons, principal/contractor, designers and manufacturers, and employees; duties are not transferable by contract.

Consultation and training must occur before work starts and be refreshed when the task, plant, substance or workforce changes.

Record keeping: risk assessments, training records, inspection registers and incident reports must be retained and available for inspection.

A hazard is a potential source of harm; a risk is the combination of likelihood and severity of harm from that hazard.

Five-step risk assessment: identify hazards, decide who may be harmed and how, evaluate risks and controls, record findings, review and update.

Control selection order: elimination > substitution > engineering (isolation, guarding, ventilation) > administrative (procedures, rotation, signage) > PPE.

Hazards are identified by inspection, task analysis, incident/near-miss data, safety data sheets, worker consultation and legislation/standards review.

Likelihood x severity matrix commonly uses 5x5; scores above the organisation's tolerance threshold require additional controls before work proceeds.

Hierarchy is not absolute: PPE may be used temporarily while engineering controls are being installed, provided interim risk is acceptable.

Permit-to-work is required for high-risk tasks such as confined space entry, hot work, live electrical work and critical lifting.

Review triggers: change in process, plant, substances, personnel, legislation, or after any incident or near miss.

Controls must be specific, assigned to a responsible person, with a target date and verified as effective before sign-off.

PPE selection requires assessment of the hazard: impact, penetration, chemical splash, dust, noise, heat, electrical or fall.

Head protection: helmets are replaced after impact, when cracked or when the manufacturer's service life expires; chin straps for work at height.

Eye/face protection: safety glasses for general, goggles for dust/chemical splash, face shields over glasses for grinding and cutting.

Hearing protection: use the manufacturer's SNR and apply derating; dual protection (plugs plus muffs) adds about 5 dB, not double.

Respiratory protection requires fit testing, face-fit checks each use, and selection by contaminant and assigned protection factor.

Hand tools: inspect before use; never use a hammer with a loose head, a mushroomed chisel, or a spanner as a hammer; pull, do not push, a wrench.

Power tools: check voltage and insulation class, use RCD protection on site, isolate before changing blades/discs, and never remove guards.

Abrasive wheels: match disc speed rating to the tool, use the correct flange, stand clear of the rotation plane when starting, and do not exceed the marked RPM.

Work at height hierarchy: avoid work at height, prevent falls using an existing place of work or equipment, then minimise the distance and consequences of a fall.

Guardrail heights are commonly 950 mm to 1100 mm for top rail, with a mid-rail and toe board; check the applicable national standard.

A fall arrest harness is a last resort; it requires a suitable anchor point, a shock absorber, and a rescue plan before use.

Lanyard length and free-fall distance determine the required clearance below the anchor; calculate total fall distance including deceleration.

Scaffolds: erected, altered and dismantled only by competent persons; tagged or handed over before use; inspected before first use and at intervals not exceeding 7 days.

Mobile tower scaffolds: check the height-to-base ratio (commonly 3:1 indoors, 2:1 outdoors), lock castors, use outriggers or stabilisers, and never move with persons on the platform.

Ladders are for access and short-duration light work only; set at 1 in 4 (75 degrees), secure top and bottom, and maintain three points of contact.

Fragile roofs and openings require covers secured against displacement, or guardrails and warning signage.

Excavations deeper than 1.2 m (or where collapse risk exists) require shoring, benching, battering or a trench box; spoil and materials are kept back at least 1 m from the edge.

Before digging, obtain utility service drawings, use a cable locator, and hand-dig trial holes near marked services.

Excavations are inspected by a competent person at the start of each shift and after any event that may affect stability (rain, vibration, collapse).

Access/egress: a ladder or ramp within 7.5 m of any worker in the excavation; barriers and signage around all open excavations.

Lifting: a competent appointed person plans the lift; the lifting plan covers load weight, centre of gravity, slinging method, radius, capacity and exclusion zone.

Never exceed the crane's rated capacity for the working radius; use the load chart, not the maximum capacity figure.

Lift exclusion zones: no person under a suspended load; tag lines used from outside the fall zone; banksmen/signallers must be trained and visible.

Plant and vehicles: segregate pedestrians from plant with barriers and marked walkways, use trained signallers, and ensure reversing vehicles have alarms, mirrors or cameras and a spotter.

Electric shock severity depends on current, path through the body, duration and frequency; 30 mA RCDs are used for portable tools on site.

Isolation procedure: identify, isolate, lock off/tag, prove dead with a tested voltage detector, and apply earthing where required.

Overhead lines: maintain the statutory safe clearance, use goalposts and warning flags, and treat all lines as live unless the supply authority confirms isolation.

Confined space definition: enclosed or partially enclosed, not designed for continuous occupancy, with a specified risk (toxic gas, flammable atmosphere, oxygen deficiency or engulfment).

Confined space entry requires a permit, atmosphere testing before and during entry, forced ventilation, a standby person, rescue equipment and trained entrants.

Oxygen levels: normal air is about 20.9%; entry is generally prohibited below 19.5% or above 23.5% (fire risk).

Hot work permit covers welding, cutting, grinding and any ignition source; requires removal of combustibles, fire watch and post-work monitoring (commonly 30-60 minutes).

Gas cylinders: store upright and secured, separate fuel and oxidiser, keep away from ignition, and fit flashback arrestors on oxy-fuel sets.

Safety Data Sheet (SDS) sections provide hazard identification, composition, first aid, firefighting, handling/storage, exposure controls and disposal information.

Exposure limits: compare measured airborne concentration against the 8-hour TWA and short-term (15-minute) exposure limit for the substance.

Routes of entry: inhalation, skin absorption, ingestion and injection; skin absorption is significant for solvents and some pesticides.

COSHH-style control: eliminate or substitute the substance, then use engineering controls (LEV), then safe systems, then PPE/RPE.

Health surveillance is required where a substance can cause identifiable disease (e.g. respirable crystalline silica, lead, noise, vibration, isocyanates).

Welfare facilities on site: drinking water, washing facilities with soap, sanitary conveniences, drying room and rest area with shelter.

Noise: action level commonly 80 dB(A) for lower exposure action value, 85 dB(A) for upper; hearing checks and hearing protection zones apply.

Hazardous waste must be segregated, labelled, stored in bunded containers and disposed of through licensed carriers with consignment documentation.

Emergency plan must cover alarm, escape routes, assembly points, roll call, rescue, first aid and communication with emergency services.

Fire triangle: fuel, oxygen, heat. Removal of any one side extinguishes the fire; classes A (solids), B (flammables), C (gases), D (metals), F (cooking oils), plus electrical.

Extinguisher selection: water (A), foam (A/B), CO2 (B/electrical), dry powder (A/B/C/electrical); never water on live electrical or metal fires.

Fire drills and alarm tests are conducted at planned intervals; escape routes kept clear and exit doors openable from the inside without a key.

First aid: assess the scene, check response, airway, breathing and circulation; call emergency services; provide CPR and AED where trained.

Accident reporting: record all injuries, near misses and dangerous occurrences; serious incidents are reportable to the regulator within statutory timeframes.

Investigation should identify root and contributing causes (task, equipment, environment, person, management) and produce corrective actions with owners and dates.

RIDDOR-type reporting categories: fatalities, specified injuries, over-7-day incapacitation, reportable occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences.

Housekeeping rules: clear walkways, no trailing cables, waste in designated skips, materials stacked stable and at safe heights, and spill kits available.

Safety sign types: prohibition (red circle with slash), warning (yellow triangle), mandatory (blue circle), safe condition/escape (green rectangle), fire equipment (red rectangle).

Communication methods include toolbox talks, induction, method statements, permits, signage, two-way radio and multilingual briefing where needed.

Environmental controls: dust suppression (water, screens), silt traps and settlement before discharge, bunded fuel storage, and spill response procedures.

Waste hierarchy: prevent, reuse, recycle, recover, dispose. Segregate waste streams and record transfers with licensed carriers.

Noise and vibration controls: choose quieter plant, use barriers and enclosures, limit hours, and monitor at site boundary.

Protected species, trees and watercourses require survey and protection zones before ground disturbance or vegetation clearance.

Site induction must cover site-specific hazards, emergency arrangements, welfare locations and reporting procedures before anyone starts work.