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 Construction inspectors carried out an intensive inspection initiative during February and March 2012, focusing on the refurbishment/building site risks that make construction one of Britain’s most dangerous industries – working at height safely, good order on site, and the risks associated with the removal of asbestos.
Nearly one in five construction sites failed safety checks during a national initiative to improve construction site safety - a slight improvement on previous years.
Inspectors visited a total 3237 sites and saw 4080 contractors. 581 sites were found to have practices that put workers at risk with a total of 870 enforcement notices issued and in 603 instances work had to stop immediately.
HSE has published a consultative document seeking your views on proposals to remove fourteen legislative measures. HSE believes these are either redundant, have been overtaken by more up to date Regulations or do not deliver their expected benefits.
The consultative document is divided into a series of annexes and you can comment on any individual annex by following the links provided. Annex 2 is probably of most interest to the construction industry.
Consultation began on 3 April 2012 and ends on 4 July 2012.
In view of the large number of temporary demountable structures (e.g. seating and temporary buildings/broadcast towers etc) planned across the UK associated with the 2012 Games, the following report may be of interest.
The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 will come into force on 6 April 2012, updating previous asbestos regulations to take account of the European Commission’s view that the UK had not fully implemented the EU Directive on exposure to asbestos (Directive 2009/148/EC).
In practice, the changes are fairly limited and mean that some types of non-licensed work with asbestos now have additional requirements, i.e. notification of work, medical surveillance and record keeping. All other requirements remain unchanged, e.g. relating to licensed work with asbestos, duty to manage, risk assessment, the asbestos control limit, control measures and training requirements.
Read details of some recent HSE prosecutions and enforcement action in the construction sector and find sources of relevant advice.
Further information will be available from 6 April 2012 on HSE’s Asbestos website
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.
Places are available at the following Working Well Together (WWT) events.
Plus many more WWT eventsover the forthcoming year
Read details of some recent HSE prosecutions and enforcement action in the construction sector and find sources of relevant advice.
28 March 2012 – A Cornish company has been fined £3,200 and ordered to pay costs of £5,000 after using unqualified staff to screen the health of workers from dozens of other organisations.
Further information
20 March 2012 - A leading engineering and construction company has been fined £250,000 for safety failings after a surveyor was killed by a reversing lorry during work to widen the M25 near Dartford.
Further information
20 March 2012 - A demolition firm has been fined £10,800 and ordered to pay costs of £3,638.95 after knocking down a building in the Lake District containing hundreds of asbestos ceiling tiles, putting the lives of workers and local residents at risk.
Further information
9 March 2012 - An Edgware-based construction company and its director have been fined after carrying out unsafe demolition and construction work at a house in Surrey. The firm was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay the full costs of £11,930. The director was fined £1,500 and disqualified from acting as a company director for three years.
29 March 2012 - A West Midlands firm has been fined £8,000 and ordered to pay £3,500 costs after a teenage worker's arm was amputated after being crushed during the demolition of old Grand Cinema in Ramsey town centre in Cambridgeshire.
Further information
12 March 2012 - A Southampton-based roofing company has been fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 costs after a worker suffered serious injuries when he fell through a fragile skylight.
Further information
30 March 2012 - A Cheshire property developer has been fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £3,837 in prosecution costs after putting the lives of its workers at risk, by allowing them to work in an unsupported excavation.
Further information
A company called HSE Passport has been brought to our attention. We would like to inform you that this company has no association with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
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