ENV/Dust Noise Nuisance/TBT-ENV-047
Working Hours and Neighbour Relations
Environmental › Dust Noise Nuisance › Working Hours and Neighbour Relations
Toolbox Talk
Working Hours and Neighbour Relations
Construction sites operate under strict working hour conditions set by planning permissions, Section 61 consents, and local authority agreements. Breaching these conditions generates complaints, damages community relations, and can result in injunctions that halt the project. Every operative must understand and respect the permitted working hours. This talk explains the rules and why good neighbour relations matter.
Key Hazards
Enforcement action and injunctions from working outside permitted hours
Community complaints escalating to political pressure on the project
Loss of Section 61 consent conditions for repeated noise violations
Reputational damage to the contractor affecting future tender opportunities
Control Measures
- Display the permitted working hours prominently at the site entrance and in welfare areas.
- Brief all operatives and subcontractors on the permitted hours during site induction.
- Schedule deliveries, concrete pours, and noisy activities within the approved time windows.
- Ensure all plant and generators are shut down before the permitted hours end each day.
- Appoint a community liaison person as the single point of contact for neighbour concerns.
- Distribute advance notification letters to neighbours before particularly noisy or disruptive work.
- Maintain a complaints log recording every concern, the response given, and the outcome.
- Seek prior written approval from the local authority before any out-of-hours working.
- Respond to complaints promptly and courteously, taking visible corrective action where needed.
Remember
- Know the permitted working hours and ensure all site activities stop before they end
- Deliveries and noisy activities must be scheduled within the approved time windows only
- Shut down all plant and generators before the end of permitted hours each day
- Report any complaints to the site manager immediately for a prompt response
- Out-of-hours working requires prior written approval from the local authority
Applicable Legislation: Control of Pollution Act 1974 (Section 61) · Environmental Protection Act 1990 · Town and Country Planning Act 1990 · CDM 2015
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