Steel Fabrication Legal Requirements

Steel fabrication is a huge worldwide industry and plays a big role infrastructure throughout the UK. Many cities and towns throughout Britain are populated with retail, public and domestic buildings which are built using the skills of steel fabricators. The process is also big in the automotive and ship building industries and creates thousands of jobs.

Like any other industry it is important that steel fabrication legal requirements are adhered to. There are various organisations in the UK that ensure all work of this kind is carried out according to health and safety acts and is done so at the highest standard.

COSHH guidance for welding and cutting

To work as a steel fabricator is required that you are fully competent in all aspects of fabricating and welding. Steel fabrication legal requirements state that all employees of a company must know the risks involved with hazardous substances and assess and control these risks.

COSHH stands for Control of Substances Hazardous to Health and in 2005 new legislations were brought in to promote focus on good practice and helping companies meet COSHH regulations. The good hazardous substances practice includes the following:

Ensuring that the workplace exposure limit (WEL) is not exceeded
Ensure that substances related to asthma, damage to genes or cancer are kept reduced as low as possible for reasonable practice
Follow good practice steps

The common COSHH substances that may affect fabricators include:

Metal Inert Gas (MIG)
Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG)
Manual Metal Arc
Gas and oxy-gas
Arc –air gouging
Plasma cutting

CSCS Cards for on-site workers

Once the fabrication process is complete, the steel is delivered to a site where it is assembled by qualified and experienced installers. Steel fabrication legal requirements mean that any employee of the fabrication company must be in possession of a CSCS card. CSCS stands for Construction Skills Certificate Scheme and was set up to improve quality and reduce the number of accidents on sites. To qualify for a CSCS card an employee must pass a test that covers all aspects of site safety.

British Constructional Steel Association

Making sure that steel fabrication legal requirements are adhered to will mean a good working environment for employees and a high level of work provided to clients. The British Constructional Steel Association (BCSA) are the national organisation for the steel industry and ensures that all member companies are well run and of a high standard in terms of safety and work. The principal objectives of the BCSA are to ensure the activities and capabilities involved in steel construction are fully understood. The BCSA acts on behalf of its members to provide:

Promotion of the steel industry and the use of steel in construction
Helping specifiers and clients achieve technical excellence at a cost-effective rate
Publishing technical publications
Provides professional advice to members on a diverse range of steel construction issues
Provides opportunities for members to meet and discuss matters of importance
Understanding of the steel fabrication legal requirements
Seminars and courses