Construction Infonet - June 2012

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.

Construction division plan of work 2012/13

A summary of the HSE Construction Division’s Plan of Work for 2012/13 has been published.  It sets out what the construction industry can expect when HSE Inspectors visit sites.

• HSE Construction Division Plan of Work 2012/13

Over the next 12 months, HSE Construction Division will be prioritising our inspection effort on small sites, asbestos removal work and refurbishment projects.

• Are you a smaller builder?

Five issues will be considered at all site visits. These are:

• Work at height
• Asbestos risks
• Provision of welfare facilities
• Good order
• Respiratory risks

Basement construction projects

Nearly one in three domestic basement projects across four London boroughs has failed health and safety spot checks.

A day-long inspection initiative by HSE Construction Division on 19 June saw a team of inspectors visit 59 construction sites across Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Camden and Haringey.

Common issues found during the inspections were:

• Work was not properly planned
• Failure to appoint a competent engineer to design suitable propping to support excavations and existing structures
• Poor or lack of welfare facilities for workers
• Basic precautions were missing, such as edge protection to prevent falls from height

Further information

• Excavation: what you need to know as busy builder
• Domestic basement construction projects: what you need to know as a busy builder
• Welfare facilities: what you need to know as a busy builder

Consultation on Removal of Legislation – last chance to have your say

The consultation on proposals to remove the Construction (Head Protection) Regulations and the Notification of Conventional Tower Cranes Regulations closes on 4 July 2012.

• Construction (Head Protection) Regulations
• Notification of Conventional Tower Cranes Regulations

Safety Bulletin – MSA SavOx oxygen self rescuer

A new Safety Bulletin highlights the risk of MSA SavOx units catching fire if the wearer does not follow start up procedures.

MSA SavOx oxygen self rescuer units have been sold for over a decade and are widely used in mines and civil tunnelling.

Action required: Ensure that all users of SavOx units are trained and have been assessed to be competent in the use of the unit and, in particular, understand the importance of following the correct start up procedure.

Recent publications

• Research report RR926 - On-tool controls to reduce exposure to respirable dusts in the construction industry - A review
• Guide to gate safety legislation and standards
  Following the tragic deaths of two young children who were crushed by electric gates in separate incidents two years ago, new guidance, endorsed by HSE, has been produced by the Door and Hardware Federation (DHF).
• HSE Newsletter
  All the latest HSE news, health and safety advice, case studies, court stories, and guidance
• New HSE Publications eBulletin
  Subscribe for free email updates about new or updated publications

Fee for Intervention

HSE has confirmed that its cost recovery scheme, Fee for Intervention (FFI), will start on 1 October 2012 subject to Parliamentary approval.

FFI recovers costs from those who break health and safety laws for the time and effort HSE spends helping to put matters right such as, investigating and taking enforcement action.

New, detailed guidance has been published on HSE's website setting out how the scheme will work in practice.

Health and safety events

Improve the health and safety of your business by attending a health and safety event near you. Most of the Working Well Together (WWT) events we list are FREE and all provide an opportunity to meet like-minded people, see interesting new equipment and get confidential advice.

Find your nearest WWT Group and get involved.

Places are available at the following Working Well Together (WWT) events

• 4 July 2012 - Construction health & safety drop in event 5-7pm, Wakefield
  Are you a self-employed builder, manager or run a small construction company? Would you like some free advice about health & safety in construction?  No need to book, just turn up.

Plus many more WWT events over the forthcoming year.

Recent enforcement activity

Read details of some recent HSE prosecutions and enforcement action in the construction sector and find sources of relevant advice.

Work at height

• 11 June 2012 - A building firm has been fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £2,706 in costs for safety failings after a decorator was seriously injured when he fell through a substandard guard rail at a housing development in Reading.
• 13 June 2012 – A building firm has been fined £13,500 and ordered to pay £7,509 in prosecution costs after a bricklayer broke his back when he fell through exposed floor joists at a site in Widnes.
• 14 June 2012 - A former Croydon construction company has been fined £15,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,969 after a worker fell eight metres from a scaffold tower that he had not wanted to build for safety reasons.
• 14 June 2012 - A Leicester construction company has been fined £500 and ordered to pay costs of £850 after a 19-year-old apprentice joiner was hurt falling from a roof.

Further information

• Construction Safety Topic - Assessing all work at height
• Construction Safety Topic - Roofwork
• Construction Safety Topic – Fragile surfaces
• Construction Safety Topic – Tower scaffolds

Temporary works

• 14 June 2012 – A construction firm has been fined £100,000 and costs of £140,000 after a carpenter died when a large slab of concrete fell on him during construction of a new accommodation block at Bath University.

Trench collapse

• 13 June 2012 - A Nottinghamshire engineering company has been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £2,141 for an incident which saw a 36-year-old worker buried up to his waist when a trench collapsed.

Further information

• Construction Safety Topic – Structural stability during excavations

Asbestos

• 11 June 2012 – A firm has been fined £12,500 with £6,295 costs and its Director fined £2,500 with costs of £2,000 after workers carrying out a refurbishment at a Devon pub were exposed to deadly asbestos dust and then asked by their site manager to remove it without adequate protection.
• 12 June 2012 - An estate management director, from Brighton, has been fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £10,449 after failing to manage the spread of asbestos during the demolition of a building.
• 14 June 2012 - A licensed asbestos removal contractor has been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £5,349 costs for putting its workers at risk of exposure to the dangerous substance during a refurbishment project in Warwickshire.

Further information

• Construction Health Topic - Asbestos

Feedback

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