Construction site visitors are not exempt from health and safety regulations and must be adequately protected before being allowed on-site, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority has said. 

In a media statement, the OHSA said it was concerned that visitors were being allowed onto construction sites without being adequately protected. 

"This includes situations involving estate agents taking potential clients onto sites still under construction, sometimes while works are being carried out," the OHSA said. 

It reminded construction site owners that it was their legal responsibility to ensure every site visitor was protected, and that project supervisors were charged with ensuring that only authorised persons were allowed on-site. 

The authority reminded construction site owners of some of their legal obligations. Site owners must appoint a project supervisor for both the design and construction stages of a project. Both roles can be carried out by the same person, provided they are competent to do so. 

Project supervisors are also duty-bound to inform the OHSA, in writing and four weeks in advance, of when work is to commence on larger projects. 

Larger projects are defined as ones scheduled to last more than 30 working days, require more than 20 workers or which require a volume of work greater than 500 person days. 

Project supervisors must also ensure that a health and safety plan is drafted during a project's design stage. 

For a full list of Operational Health and Safety legislation, visit the OHSA's website. 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.