Site safety

Last year's FMB membership survey, published in the March 2008 issue of Master Builder magazine revealed that general building in the remedial, maintenance and improvement (RMI) sector remains key for members.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out over 1000 spot checks of refurbishment sites across Great Britain during February as part of its rolling inspection programme targeting poor performing sectors in the construction industry.

Geoffrey Podger, HSE's Chief Executive said: "Over one in three construction sites visited put the lives of workers at risk and operated so far below the acceptable standard that our inspectors served 395 enforcement notices and stopped work on 30 percent of the sites."

"We stopped work on site immediately during approximately 300 inspections because we felt there was a real possibility that life would be lost or ruined through serious injury. Our inspectors were appalled at the blatant disregard for basic health and safety precautions on refurbishment sites across Great Britain.

"HSE will not tolerate negligence or poor safety standards on construction sites. It is totally unacceptable that so many lives have been put at risk and we will take all action necessary to protect workers, including closing sites and prosecuting those responsible. The construction industry should take ownership of this issue and do more to tackle poor standards on sites", was Mr Podger’s stark warning to the refurbishment sector.

HSE's construction division reported that basic safety precautions were being flouted and issues such as work at height remain a huge concern. Over half of the enforcement action taken during this inspection initiative was against dangerous work at height, which last year led to the death of 23 workers.

Last year over half of the workers who died on construction sites worked in refurbishment, and the number of deaths on refurbishment sites rose by 61 percent.

During the spot checks, HSE inspectors looked at whether:

• Jobs that involved working at height had been identified and properly planned to ensure that appropriate precautions were in place
• Equipment was correctly installed / assembled, inspected and maintained and used properly
• Sites were well organised, to avoid trips and falls
• Walkways and stairs were free from obstructions
• Work areas were clear of unnecessary materials and waste
• The work force was made aware of risk control measures.

The HSE offers the following advice on what contractors MUST do on ALL projects:

You should:

• Be satisfied that you and anyone you employ (or engage) are competent and adequately resourced to deal with health and safety risks
• Plan, manage and monitor your own work to make sure that health is protected from the outset
• Ensure that each subcontractor is informed of the minimum amount of time that is available to plan and mobilise work
• Provide workers who are under your control (whether employed or self-employed) with information on relevant health risks (including those that may arise from other contractors’ work) and a site induction (where not provided by a principal contractor), which they need to work safely, report problems or respond appropriately in an emergency
• Co-operate with others who are involved with the project and coordinate activity
• Get specialist advice (eg from an occupational hygienist) when planning high-risk work (eg work on contaminated land).

For more information go to www.hse.gov.uk/construction/tripsandfalls/