Health & Safety on Glazing and Partition Installations
Every Weldholm installation runs to a written set of safe-working practices covering glass handling, work at height, power tools and sealants, and coordination with the other trades on site. Installers are briefed on them before work starts on the job, not handed them afterwards.
How each job is prepared
- The significant hazards for that specific site are identified — access, occupied or empty premises, panel sizes and weights, height of work, and which other trades are present
- The relevant assessment is selected, or a job-specific one written where the standard set doesn't cover the work
- Every operative on site is briefed before work starts, and the briefing is recorded on a signature sheet
- The assessment is reviewed and updated if site conditions change materially during the job
Handling glass
Partition panels are heavy, rigid and sharp-edged, and unforgiving of a mishandled lift. Our defaults:
- Two-person minimum lift for any panel one person cannot comfortably control alone
- Mechanical assistance — glass suction lifters and vacuum cups — for larger panels
- Panels transported and stored vertically in purpose-made A-frames or stillages, never stacked flat or left leaning unsecured
- Routes established and cleared before a panel is moved — no blind carries through active work areas
- Damaged or broken glass isolated and removed rather than worked on
Working at height
Head tracks, ceiling-level fixings and glazed screens above standard reach all count as work at height:
- Any work above 2m, or any work where a fall could cause injury regardless of height, is treated as work at height
- Podium steps or a tower scaffold / mobile access platform are the default for sustained work at head-track height; ladders only for genuinely short, low-risk tasks
- Anyone using access equipment must be competent to do so, or directly supervised by someone who is
- Access equipment is inspected before use, and damaged equipment is taken out of use
- Tools and materials at height are secured or tethered where anyone could be passing beneath
Protective equipment
| Equipment | When it's used |
|---|---|
| Safety footwear | Steel or composite toe-cap, at all times on site |
| Cut-resistant gloves | All glass handling, rated for glass edges |
| Eye protection | Cutting, drilling, and handling damaged glass |
| Hi-vis clothing | Wherever site rules require it — most commercial fit-outs |
| Hard hat | Overhead work, falling-object risk, or where site rules require it |
| Hearing protection | Sustained power-tool noise above 80dB |
| Dust and fume protection | Cutting aluminium or timber framing, and solvent-based sealants in poorly ventilated areas |
Occupied and shared sites
- We work to the main contractor's site rules and complete their induction before starting
- Work is coordinated with other trades sharing the floor, so no activity is carried out over or beneath another
- On occupied premises, the work area is separated from client staff and the public, and nothing is left where it can be walked into
- Welfare arrangements for our operatives are confirmed before work starts
Installers and subcontractors
Much of our installation work is delivered by installers we engage directly. Before they go on site we confirm they have the competence and experience for the activity they're being asked to do, and that protective equipment is provided. Work does not proceed without it, and site-level responsibility for briefing and stopping unsafe work is assigned to a named person on every job.
Accreditation, stated plainly
We are working towards CHAS/SSIP-recognised accreditation and don't claim to hold it today. If your pre-qualification process needs our written health and safety policy, the activity risk assessments and method statements for the work, or our insurance schedules, ask for them with your quote and we'll send what we have in writing — no badges we haven't earned.
Safety on site, asked and answered
Do you provide risk assessments and method statements for our site?
Yes. Each job gets the relevant assessments and method statements for the activities involved — glass handling, work at height, power tools and sealants — adapted to the specific site rather than issued as a generic template.
Are your installers briefed before work starts?
Every operative on site is briefed on the assessments and method statement before work begins, and the briefing is recorded on a signature sheet. If site conditions change materially during the job, the assessment is revisited.
Are you CHAS accredited?
Not yet — we are working towards CHAS/SSIP-recognised accreditation. Our written health and safety policy, activity risk assessments and insurance schedules can be supplied for your pre-qualification process on request.
Who is responsible for safety on our site?
Overall responsibility sits with the company director. Day-to-day responsibility on each job is assigned to a named person for that job, normally the lead installer or site supervisor, who briefs the method statement, checks protective equipment is worn and stops unsafe work.