Reasonable adjustments in construction roles

Safety law and the adjustment duty coexist

On site, it is easy to assume safety obligations cancel the adjustment duty. They do not. Health and safety law and the Equality Act 2010 apply simultaneously: the employer must keep the site safe and must consider reasonable adjustments. Where a specific adjustment cannot be made safe, that is a recorded reason to choose a different adjustment, not a reason to stop considering adjustments at all.

Physical demands

• Mechanical aids: hoists, trolleys, vacuum lifters and powered tools that reduce manual handling load, which can reduce manual handling risk for the whole gang, subject to task-specific risk assessment.
• Task rotation or reallocation within the team, keeping the trade role intact while moving its heaviest slice.
• Structured rest breaks for pain, fatigue or medication, planned into the day rather than taken as endurance failures.
• Ground-level or reduced-height duties where working at height is the specific barrier, subject to the site's task mix.

PPE and equipment

• Modified PPE: prescription safety eyewear, hearing protection compatible with hearing aids, gloves and harnesses sized and adapted for the individual. Standard-issue PPE that does not fit is itself a barrier.
• Tools with vibration reduction or easier grips where hand strength or HAVS-related limits are the issue.

Instructions, inductions and paperwork

• Visual and practical formats for site inductions and toolbox talks, alongside the written pack. A demonstration plus diagram lands where a dense handout does not.
• Method statements and RAMS summarised in plain language, with the full document still available for compliance.
• Support with certification paperwork, such as CSCS test arrangements, where reading is the barrier rather than the knowledge.

Buddy systems and communication

• A named buddy for new starters who need instructions confirmed or routines established, tapering as familiarity builds.
• Agreed check-ins for lone or spread-out working where a condition makes sudden deterioration a risk, done as radio contact rather than supervision theatre.

Subcontracting and the record

Construction's layered subcontracting means the person managing someone on site today may not be their employer. Adjustments agreed with the employer have to reach the site supervisor to be real, and that transmission is easy to lose between contractor layers. A recorded adjustment, shared with the employee's consent as part of site onboarding, is the practical fix, and it also evidences that the duty was met if the arrangement is later disputed.

This guide is general guidance, not legal advice. For advice on your specific obligations, speak to an employment law specialist, your trade body or ACAS.