The Health and Safety Coordinator

Health and Safety Coordinator in Project Phase

The Health and Safety Coordinator during the preparation of the works project is the competent technician appointed by the developer to coordinate, during the works project phase, the application of the principles referred to in the Article 8 of the Royal Decree 1627/1997 of 24 Octoberestablishing minimum health and safety provisions for construction work. This Royal Decree does not apply to open-cast, underground or borehole mining industries, which are governed by their specific regulations.

Where several designers are involved in drawing up the works project, the developer shall appoint a health and safety coordinator.

Health and Safety Coordinator in the Execution Phase

If more than one company, or a company and self-employed workers or several self-employed workers are involved in the execution of the work, the promoter is obliged to designate a health and safety coordinator during the execution of the work, before the start of the work or as soon as this circumstance is established (whether or not there is a project for the work).

The designation of the Health and Safety Coordinator in the project phase and the designation of the Health and Safety Coordinator in the execution phase of the work may be made by the same person.

This designation does not relieve the promoter of its responsibilities.

Functions of the Health and Safety Coordinator

The Coordinator for Health and Safety in phase of elaboration of the work project must coordinate the application of the general principles of health and safety prevention in the phases of conception, study and preparation of the works project, according to the Article 8 of Royal Decree 1627/1997.

In addition, it shall be taken into consideration when making constructive, technical and organisational decisions in order to plan the different works or work phases to be carried out simultaneously or successively, and when estimating the duration required for the execution of these different works or work phases.

The Coordinator for Health and Safety in execution phase of the work shall develop the following functions:

• Coordinating the application of general prevention and safety principles in making technical and organisational decisions in order to plan the different jobs or work steps to be carried out simultaneously or successively, and in estimating the duration required for the execution of these different jobs or work steps.
• Coordinate site activities to ensure that contractors, subcontractors where appropriate, and self-employed workers consistently and responsibly apply the principles of preventive action set out in the Article 15 of the Law on the Prevention of Occupational Risks during the execution of the work.
• Approve the health and safety plan The contractor's design and any modifications made to it. If it is not necessary to designate a coordinator, this function shall be assumed by the project management.
• Organising the Coordination of Business Activities (CAE) provided for in Article 24 of the Prevention of Occupational Risks Act.
• Coordinate the actions and functions of control of the correct implementation of working methods.
• Take the necessary measures so that only authorised persons may have access to the site. If it is not necessary to designate a coordinator, this function will be assumed by the site management.
• Custodian of the logbook, to be kept on site, if the designation of the coordinator is necessary. If this is not the case, it shall be kept by the project management.
• When an entry is made in the incident book, the contractor concerned and the representatives of the contractor's employees must be notified. In the event that such an entry refers to a failure to comply with the warnings or observations previously noted in the book, a copy shall be sent to the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate within twenty-four hours.
• In circumstances of serious and imminent risk to the safety and health of workers, may order the stoppage of the work or, where appropriate, of the entire work, notifying the corresponding Labour and Social Security Inspectorate, the contractors and, where appropriate, the subcontractors affected by the stoppage, as well as the workers' representatives of the latter.

Training required of the Health and Safety Coordinator

Documentation generated during health and safety coordination

The documents that are handled on a regular basis in the Coordination of Health and Safety on site are:

• Appointment of the Health and Safety Coordinator on site.
• Minutes of approval of the Occupational Health and Safety Plan and modifications, if applicable.
• Favourable report on the Health and Safety at Work Plan and on its modifications, if any (only in works of the Administration).
• Incident Book.
• Supervision Report of the Preventive Management Document of the work, if it is a work without a project.
• Favourable report on the Preventive Management Document of the work without project and on its subsequent modifications.
• Preventive Management Monitoring Records for works without a project.
• Notification of the opening of the work site by the contractor.
• Minutes of the initial Health and Safety Coordination meeting on site.
• Minutes of periodic Health and Safety Coordination meetings.
• Act of completion of Health and Safety Coordination on site.
• Documentary evidence of random checks on the documentation of companies, workers, work equipment, machinery and auxiliary means.