Nearly one in four of the construction sites visited by Great Britain’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) during March failed safety checks.
Inspectors from HSE carried out checks at 2,014 construction sites across the country as part of an intensive inspection campaign aimed at reducing death and injury in one of Britain's most dangerous industries.
During unannounced visits, inspectors focused on refurbishment and roofing work to ensure any work at height was being done safely and that the sites were in good order. A total of 2,414 contractors were inspected during the campaign.
A total of 691 enforcement notices were issued at 470 sites, with inpsectors giving orders for immediate work stoppage in 359 instances for either unsafe work being carried out at height or where sites lacked "good order." The majority of all notices issued related to unsafe work being carried out at height.
Philip White, HSE's Chief Inspector for Construction, noted, "There are still a small number of employers or contractors who continue to put their own and other people's health and safety at risk. This is unacceptable. I want to make it clear to these operators that we will not hesitate to take action where standards of health and safety are endangering workers lives and livelihoods."
During 2008/09 there were 53 deaths in construction and 11 264 injuries. (workersxzcompxzkit)
Last year, inspectors visited 1,759 sites, 2,145 contractors and issued 491 enforcement notices during a similar month-long initiative.
Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers’ Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, manufacturing, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. He can be contacted at: He can be contacted at: [email protected] or 860-553-6604.
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