Construction Infonet is a free eBulletin from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to provide a regular update on health and safety issues for all in the construction industry.
From May 2011 the Construction Infonet will be sent to you from: hse@public.govdelivery.com ; please amend your email account “safe list” accordingly.
Following the recent refurbishment inspection initiative here are some tips from HSE Inspectors on handling asbestos on small sites:
Asbestos could be present in any building that was built or refurbished before the year 2000.
Read details of some recent HSE prosecutions and enforcement action in the construction sector and find sources of relevant advice.
5 April 2011 - A Cowbridge roofing company has been fined £5,985 and ordered to pay costs of £1,800 after repeatedly putting its workers at risk by ignoring urgent orders to improve safety.
HSE issued a Prohibition in January 2010 after finding employees were being put at risk of a potentially fatal fall from height. On a return visit in August 2010 HSE found that the firm had again failed to ensure work at height was carried out safely
11 April 2011 - Site occupier and employer fined £7,000 after plumber fell through fragile ceiling tile. The HSE investigation discovered that another plumber had fallen through a ceiling tile at the premises two years earlier, but had escaped injury by grabbing hold of the ceiling boards.
12 April 2011 - Two companies have been fined a total of £400,000 for breaches of health and safety legislation that resulted in the death of a stonemason's labourer at a Glasgow construction site.
James Kelly fell to the ground from a scaffold loading tower platform. He died later from his injuries. The HSE investigation found that there was no safe system of work in place for loading materials onto the loading tower, nor had suitable assessment of the risks involved been made. The investigation also revealed that the loading tower did not have sufficient guard rails and toe boards and that neither company had ensured that the tower and access scaffolding was properly inspected on a regular basis.
12 April 2011 - Firm from Halifax fined £13,500 and ordered to pay costs of £3,873 after a worker broke his back in a seven-metre fall from the roof of a two-storey house in Leeds.
18 April 2011 - A Hampshire roofing boss has been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,497 after workers were spotted removing roof tiles without scaffolding or safety barriers to prevent them falling.
5 April 2011 - A property developer put his workers at risk by failing to identify the presence of asbestos before allowing them to start work on a nightclub in Wrexham.
The property developer was given a suspended sentence of eight months for breaching the Control of Asbestos Regulations. He was also given a 12 month suspended sentence for breaching Section 33 (1)(c) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and eight months suspended sentence for the offence contrary to Regulation 19 of the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005. In addition, he was ordered to carry out 200 hours of community service and to pay costs of £10,000 over two years.
18 April 2011 - A contracting firm was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £3,064 in costs after workers at a major renovation site in Plymouth were exposed to asbestos containing material.
1 April 2011 - A Coventry construction firm has been fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £8,000 costs after repeatedly breaching health and safety regulations. An HSE inspection found inadequate guarding of drills and guillotines, poor control measures when spraying and storing flammable paint - causing potential fire and explosion risks - and inadequate storage of oxygen and acetylene cylinders. An incident ten years ago at the same premises resulted in a worker breaking every finger of one hand whilst operating a faulty radial arm drill.
11 April 2011 - A Bradford builder has been jailed for trying to cut costs by doing his own gas and electric installation in a granny flat he was working on. He was taking so long finishing the job that the owner called in another builder who advised him power connections in the flat may be dangerous.
If you don't work at height very often or are unsure about which type of access equipment to use, it's important that you assess the risks and select the right equipment for the job.
Improve the health and safety of your business by attending a health and safety event near you.
Places are available at the following Working Well Together (WWT) events
We issue eBulletins on a regular basis and would welcome your feedback and views as well as any suggestions/contributions for future articles.
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