Written by admin on October 29th, 2013

A month long nationwide campaign by the Health and Safety Executive has found more than 1,100 construction sites falling foul of poor standards and dangerous practices.

The HSE visited 2,607 sites where refurbishment or repair work was taking place.
Heather Bryant, HSE’s chief inspector of construction, said the findings were “disappointing”.

According to the Regulator, basic safety standards were not being met on 1,105 sites. On 644 construction sites, practices were deemed so poor that enforcement action was taken to protect workers.

The HSE issued 539 prohibition notices ordering dangerous activities to cease immediately and 414 improvement notices requiring standards to improve.

Ms Bryant said: “It is disappointing to find a significant number of sites falling below acceptable health and safety standards, where our inspectors encountered poor practice this often went hand in hand with a lack of understanding.”

Sites failing to protect workers

HSE inspectors embarked on a round of unannounced visits to construction sites during September.

Ms Bryant said: “Through initiatives like this we are able to tackle underlying issues before they become established and we will continue to work with the industry in an effort to drive up standards.

“However those who recklessly endanger the health and lives of their workforce can expect to face tough consequences.”

Inspectors found the most common problems to be failing to protect workers during activities at height, exposure to harmful dust and inadequate welfare facilities.

For more about the initiative, including examples of good and bad practice discovered by HSE inspectors during the campaign, visit:

www.hse.gov.uk/construction/campaigns/safersites/index.htm

1,100 building sites fail safety checks says HSE

Sites failing to protect workers

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