General OSH principles and legal duties
This domain tests the legal framework and the principle that safety duties are shared. The CIDB Green Card (e-SICW) records that you attended the Safety and Health Induction Course for Construction Workers; it is not a trade competency licence.
Core rules
- OSHA 1994 places a general duty on employers to ensure, so far as is practicable, the safety, health and welfare of employees: safe plant, safe systems of work, information, training, supervision and welfare.
- Employees must take reasonable care of themselves and others, cooperate with safety arrangements, use PPE correctly and report hazards or defects.
- The Factories and Machinery Act 1967 and construction regulations add requirements for plant, scaffolds, excavations and lifting equipment. CIDB Act 520 supports worker registration and the Green Card system.
- DOSH enforces OSH law. 'So far as is practicable' means weighing risk against cost, time and difficulty; it is not an excuse for doing nothing.
Worked example
A worker is told to use a bench saw with the guard removed. The hazard is exposed rotating teeth. The employer must provide a guarded saw and a safe system; the worker should not use it, should report the defect and must not remove guards to speed up work. The reasoning is that the employer owes the primary duty, but the worker also has a duty to avoid unsafe acts.
Traps
Do not say the Green Card proves trade competency. Do not treat employer duties as optional or absolute. Do not assume only supervisors have legal duties.