Construction BUSINESS

BSI, the business standards company, has launched a specification for the sharing of health and safety information through a project or asset-life cycle. PAS 1192-6 Specification for collaborative sharing and use of structured Health and Safety information using BIM supports the development of structured health and safety information for all construction projects from the outset.

Until recently, health and safety (H&S) risk management in the construction industry was largely a paper-based discipline. In support of the ongoing digital transformation in the sector, BSI has developed PAS 1192-6 which sets out a model process of how digital health and safety risk information should flow through every stage of a construction project. It focuses in particular on the needs and perspective of the end user.

PAS 1192-6 was specifically developed to enable users of BIM (Building Information Modelling) methods and techniques to identify, use and share health and safety information in a collaborative way. Doing so will ultimately help to further drive down H&S risks through the lifecycle of a project and built asset.

Because risks on a construction site vary widely, PAS 1192-6 requires each risk to be placed in context, with the filtering of hazards according to a scale. The guidance is explicit in assisting with how to prioritize elevated risks which are safety critical.

PAS 1192-6 is relevant to any organization or individual that contributes to the design, construction, and maintenance of an asset – including the end of life of an asset. It specifies how H&S information can be used in order to:

• a.)Provide a safer and healthier environment for end-users;
• b.)Mitigate the inherent hazards and risks across the asset lifecycle;
• c.)Result in improved construction H&S performance, fewer incidents and associated impacts;
• d.)Provide for clearer and more relevant H&S information to the right people at the right time
• e.)Reduce construction and operational costs

The digital exchange and use of health and safety information is intended to be relevant and support the unique requirements of each individual project, site and built asset. PAS 1192-6 will make it easier to access and share H&S knowledge and guidance already accumulated from prior built environment projects or from elsewhere. The specification can be applied in conjunction with the duty holder’s own management systems, policies and arrangements.

Ant Burd, Head of the Built Environment sector at BSI, said: “We know that health and safety standards and approaches in the construction sector save lives and reduce the operational costs of a project. Consequently, guidance on applying H&S information from the start to the end of life of a project or asset is a win-win for all stakeholders in a built environment project.

“Users of BIM will be the first to admit that, to date, there has been a dearth of guidance on how you should go about sharing all-important structured health and safety information across project and asset lifecycles. Sharing information can help to drive down risk on a construction site – and PAS 1192-6 was developed to make it easier for built environment professionals to do this.”

PAS 1192-6 was sponsored by Costain PLC and Health & Safety Executive (HSE). The following organizations were involved in the development of PAS 1192-6 as members of steering group: AEC3; Association for Product Safety (APS); Arup; Balfour Beatty; Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT); Construction Industry Council (CIC); Construction Products Association (CPA); Costain PLC; Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI); EDF Energy; Environment Agency; Health & Safety Executive (HSE); ICE (Institute of Civil Engineers); Ivan Hurst Consulting; MACE Ltd; Mott McDonald; National Grid; i3 by AECOM; Structural Safety Ltd (SCOSS).