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.
We have received a few messages from subscribers to Construction Infonet who did not receive the September 2008 issue. If you didn’t receive it you can access a copy from the archive on HSE's website
HSE has confirmed that European manufacturers have voluntarily agreed to cease supply of semi-automatic quick hitches into the UK. The agreement comes after discussions between HSE and industry following four fatal incidents in the twelve month period between December 2006 and November 2007. The agreement is effective as of 1 October 2008.
Every week 20 tradesmen, including plumbers, joiners and electricians, die from asbestos related diseases, caused simply by breathing in asbestos fibres.
HSE launched a national campaign, Asbestos: The Hidden Killer, on 13 October 2008 to target tradesmen, who are still at risk from exposure to asbestos.
Asbestos is a hidden killer. So now’s the time to get clued up on the facts, so that you, your workmates, your friends and family are protected.
HSE has issued a safety alert aimed at builders and developers, managing agents, landlords and occupiers of residential properties with gas central heating boilers sited on internal walls. The purpose of the alert is to raise awareness of a potential poisoning risk.
The risk arises from a particular arrangement of flues for gas boilers. Such boilers, most commonly found in multi-storey flats and apartments built since 2000, may have a flue that runs through the ceiling void. HSE has become aware that some flues may not have been installed properly, or may have fallen into disrepair.
Manual handling is a key health issue that HSE and industry are addressing. The handling of heavy paving slabs and kerbs can lead to musculoskeletal disorders where the damage can be gradual and progressive over a substantial period of time.
HSE needs input from the construction industry and other key stakeholders to tackle this issue effectively.
The main emphasis of the event will be on discussion and debate leading to the mutual development of practical guidance to reduce the risks associated with manual handling of paving slabs.
The workshop is taking place at HSE’s office in London on 10 November 2008. It is free but places are limited.
Read details of some recent HSE prosecutions and enforcement action in the construction sector and find sources of relevant advice.
12 September 2008: HSE warns employers to take adequate measures to prevent falls from height, one of the largest causes of workplace injuries. The warning follows HSE's prosecution of a Liverpool construction company for failing to implement safe systems for work at height despite repeated warnings. The prosecution follows HSE's investigation of an incident where a 22-year-old concrete layer fell four metres through a hole into the well of a lift shaft which had not been made safe.
26 September 2008: HSE is reminding contractors of the importance of implementing safe systems for working at height. This follows the prosecution of a company after HSE inspectors observed roof work in progress on a domestic, terraced property in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Workers were seen on an unsafe scaffold where they had altered the boards to enable them to pass roof tiles, from person to person, down to the ground, thereby avoiding breakage as the tiles were being reclaimed. There was a risk of falling up to 4 metres from the eaves platform because of the alterations.
7 October 2008: HSE warns employers that they face prosecution if they fail to ensure the safety of people working at height. The warning came after a North East roofing company, was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay costs of £17,028 at Sunderland Magistrates’ Court after it failed to ensure that roofing work was carried out safely on an industrial building on Wearside. An HSE inspector observed three workers carrying out additional cladding work on the roof of the building, about four metres from ground level. Edge protection had not been provided for the eaves of the building. In addition, a scissor lift had been inappropriately used to gain access to the roof and modified to carry materials.
Further information
Traffic Management
18 September 2008: HSE is warning construction firms to ensure that adequate safety measures are in place for site transport. The warning comes after a Nottingham company was prosecuted following an incident at a building site in Sheffield when an employee driving a dumper truck was forced over the edge of an unprotected excavation where the site had not segregated the traffic route from pedestrians crossing the site. As the dumper overturned, the employee jumped from the vehicle and sustained a broken hip, causing him to be off work for a number of months.
1 October 2008: HSE has reminded construction companies that if they ignore advice about risks they are likely to face prosecution. The reminder follows the prosecution of a Lancashire property developer after it failed to act on a series of warnings, both from the HSE and from its own safety experts, about poor security and lack of systems for managing site traffic.
HSE visited the site in February 2007 and issued Improvement Notices, after the police alerted HSE to the concerns of local residents about the poor state of the boundary fence and children getting onto the site. They found that not only was the fence dilapidated, but also the site itself did not have an adequate traffic management system, putting people walking around the site in danger from construction vehicles.
19 September 2008: HSE is warning companies which use electro-magnetic cranes that they must ensure the safety of their employees working near them after an incident on Teesside which left a man with back injuries and a broken leg. The crane operator was using a remote control to lift a raft of steel beams using a magnetic crane attachment. A beam snagged on the side of the building and fell from the crane, hitting the operator. He suffered severe injuries to his back and leg which left him unable to work for months.
Electro-magnetic attachments to cranes can reduce certain risks, such as having to climb onto loads to sling and release the load. However, these magnets can drop their loads for a number of reasons and it is important that no one is anywhere near the suspended load until it is in a safe position. In this case the combination of the length of the steel beams and the site layout meant there was no safe operating position.
29 September 2008: HSE is urging people to ensure that they use licensed companies to remove asbestos insulation board or asbestos lagging.
This follows the joint prosecution with the Environment Agency of a Director of two Eastbourne based companies. The Director was fined £36,000 and £4,000 costs for breaching seven regulations under The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006 and also disqualified from being a Director for four years.
The Director was employed by a local businessman to remove asbestos insulation board from his shop and undertook the removal of asbestos insulation board without the required licence for work with asbestos, and without notifying the HSE. He also failed to carry out the appropriate precautions and left a white sack containing broken pieces of asbestos insulation board outside the shop, and asbestos debris inside the property.
Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) - revised guide
A revised version of the guide for employers on the Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969, (ELCI) has been published. A key feature is advice on complying with changes to ELCI that came into force on 1 October 2008 -
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Thank you to those who 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