Our Fatal Risks

Balfour Beatty has identified the 10 fatal risks that most affect our day-to-day operations.

These risks have the potential to cause serious injuries or fatalities if we do not manage them effectively. Eliminating risk is an absolutely critical element of our determination never to compromise on safety.

To help us do this, we have established a Fatal Risk Group for each of the 10 fatal risks, which are led by our operational Managing Directors. These groups are tasked with finding ways to promote awareness, reduce exposure to, and ultimately eliminate the risks to our employees, supply chain partners and the communities in which we work.

If we cannot design out a risk, we follow our What3Things checklist - a simple summary of three key measures to be applied to each of our fatal risks. The quick and easy prompts, used alongside our Golden Rules, should address the most common issues surrounding these risks on our sites. 

Our 10 fatal risks and What3Things we apply to each are:

Working at height

  • Fall prevention
  • Tools tethered
  • Exclusion zones

Electricity and Utility Avoidance

  • Competent Persons
  • Identify and protect
  • Authorised permit

Health

  • Physically and mentally fit
  • Low or no vibrating tools or plant
  • Dust suppression and extraction

Stored energy

  • Energy release risk controlled
  • Inspection and maintenance regimes
  • Exclusion zones

Catastrophic events

  • Temporary Works Co-ordinator
  • Tested emergency response
  • Fire risk assessment

Traffic management

  • Competent risk-based design
  • Traffic Management Plan
  • Segregation

Lifting

  • Lifting Appointed Person
  • Lift plan and exclusion zones
  • Thorough examination and inspection

Excavations

  • Design out need to enter
  • Edge protection
  • Ground support or battering

People and Plant interface

  • Segregation, red and amber zones
  • Competent identifiable operators, marshals and controllers
  • Plant standards checked

Driving

  • No hand-held devices
  • Fatigue management
  • Permit to drive/relevant licence