HSE Construction Division inspection initiative
February 2008
The Health & Safety
Executive is to carry out targeted inspections at
refurbishment sites -
12th February 2008
During February 2008
the Health and
Safety Executive's (HSE) Construction Division
Inspectors are planning to carry out targeted
refurbishment site inspections in the UK, looking at
the issues of getting it right when working at
height and keeping sites in good order.
In the summer of 2007 some 1,300 sites were visited,
at some of the refurbishment sites basic safety
precautions were so poor that they were often
putting workers lives at risk. This prompted the
latest safety checks to see if the safety standards
are improving. If they are found to be
unsatisfactory then enforcement measures will be
taken.
The 2007 inspections revealed that
falls at work are
the biggest cause of fatalities in Britain’s
workplaces. Around 30 percent of deaths in
construction during 2006/07(p) were as a result of a
fall from height. Over 4,000 other serious injuries
are reported to the HSE from within the construction
industry each year with over half being as a result
of falls or trips at the workplace.
The falls and trips in construction inspection
initiatives keep the HSE's inspection activities
going following on from the 2005 'Fit
Out' initiative and the 2006 'Watch
Your Step' campaign.
Improving Health and Safety, thus reducing deaths
and injuries in the workplace from trips and falls,
is a priority for the HSE in aiding the construction
industry with meeting its targets by 2010 for
reducing accidents at work, and crucially helping to
prevent the devastating results these accidents can
have on workers and their families.
