Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Construction
Welcome to the latest edition of Construction Infonet.
Construction Infonet is a free e-Bulletin from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to provide a regular update on health and safety issues for all in the construction industry.
HSE has issued a safety alert to highlight the dangers of using top cutting machines in trench preparation without appropriate safety devices. As part of an HSE investigation into a fatal accident it has come to HSE’s attention that a number of the safety devices used on a top-cutting machine to prevent access to the drum while in motion may not be working in the manner originally intended by the manufacturer.
During 2007/8 (p) 58 workers died and an additional 3623 suffered a serious injury as a result of a fall from height. Ladders remain the most common agent involved - accounting for approximately a third of all reported falls form height incidents.
HSE is launching Ladder Exchange Initiative 2009 on 1 September 2009. It will run until December 2009.
Ladder Exchange is designed to help prevent ladder accidents by encouraging businesses to remove 'dodgy' ladders from the workplace. It also provides dutyholders with an opportunity to review pre-use checks, training, supervision and other arrangements for ladder work.
The initiative is simple; if you have a ladder which is bent, broken or battered you can part exchange it for a new one at one of our partner outlets who are offering discounts at competitive rates.
Read details of some recent HSE prosecutions and enforcement action in the construction sector and find sources of relevant advice.
Work at Height remains the single biggest cause of workplace deaths and one of the main causes of major injury.
Harold Roach fell ten feet through roof joists at a refurbishment site in Birkenhead while he was working for Property People (NW) Ltd.
Property People (NW) Ltd admitted contravening Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 by failing to ensure the safety of its employees. It also pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 3(1) of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 by failing to report the injury to HSE. The company was fined £92,000 and ordered to pay costs of £11,404.
HSE has warned small companies to take their responsibilities seriously, after a man fell through the roof of a DIY superstore in Wigan and later died.
David Battisson from CRN Contracts Ltd in Birkenhead (formerly Concrete Repairs NW Ltd) was working on the roof of the store when he fell ten metres to the floor through a PVC light.
HSE prosecuted CRN Contracts Ltd for failing to follow proper safety procedures. The company pleaded guilty to two charges under health and safety legislation, and was fined £25,000 and ordered to pay costs of £14,086.
HSE prosecuted Tower Roofing Ltd following an incident at Magnesium Elektron Ltd’s premises in Swinton. Lee Bridge was cleaning guttering at the factory on 6 March 2008 when the fragile roof gave way. He landed on a stack of pallets more than two metres below him, before bouncing off them and falling a further two metres to the concrete floor.
Tower Roofing pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 for failing to take suitable precautions to prevent the incident from occurring. It was fined £3,500 and ordered to pay full costs of £5,976.
The warning follows the prosecution of JAS. Truscott & Son Ltd of Tunbridge Wells for breaching a prohibition notice, and failing to protect against falls into, and the potential collapse of, excavations at a project to develop a mews house in Belgravia, London on 2 and 3 June 2008.
The court heard that despite clear advice being given to the company, and a prohibition notice being issued to stop their work immediately, they continued to work in excavations approximately three metres deep in a sandy ballast ground, without proper supports to prevent the ground from collapsing or to stop people from falling into the pits.
JAS. Truscott & Son Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, Regulation 31(1)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 and Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The court imposed fines of £6,500, £1,000 and £1,000 respectively for the breaches. The court also ordered the company to pay costs of £9,526.29.
Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM 2007)
HSE is reminding construction companies of the financial penalties of not carrying out full risk assessments or ensuring their staff are properly trained - after the sentencing of a crane company for health and safety breaches. WD Bennett’s Plant & Services Ltd was fined £125,000 and ordered to pay costs of £264,299. The company had been found guilty of two health and safety breaches that led to the death of two workers and injured a third.
The company had been charged alongside Eurolift (Tower Cranes) Limited which pleaded guilty to two health and safety breaches at the beginning of the trial. Eurolift (Tower Cranes) Limited pleaded guilty to breaching section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and Regulation 8(3) of the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996.
The prosecution followed an incident on a construction site in Worthing, on 11 February 2005. The two men who died, Steve Boatman and Gary Miles, had been working on the jib of a crane. A third man, who was severely injured in the incident, was working on the mast of the crane. He was instructed to begin de-torquing the crane’s mast bolts and should have done so one-by-one, and then re-tightened each bolt in turn. However, he was not trained in this job and he failed to re-tighten the bolts leaving them part undone. This caused the crane to collapse as it was turned. Mr Boatman and Mr Miles died from injuries sustained when they were flung from the crane.
Construction Plant-Hire Association - Technical Information Notes
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The Government has launched a consultation into officially recognising Workers Memorial Day to remember those who lose their lives at work.
The NWSi, an organisation which supports construction health and safety in the North West of England, is holding it's10th Seminar in Runcorn, Cheshire on 14th October 2009.
This years seminar is aimed at client organisations and other key stakeholders; those who influence safety within the construction sector. The aim of the seminar is to demonstrate to attendees that, even during these difficult times, health and safety is of value to ensure affordable, safe construction work in a timely manner.
Speakers with practical experience from client, HSE and contract organisations will be taking the floor to demonstrate how good health and safety is good business, and how this should be applied on site. There will also be a number of HSE Inspectors available for individual confidential discussions throughout the day.
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Thank you to those who have provided feedback on the previous editions - we have tried to incorporate as many of the suggestions as possible.
You can contact us at: construction-manager@bulletins.hse.gov.uk