Welcome to the latest edition of Construction Infonet.
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.
The 2nd edition of Fire safety in construction explains how everyone involved in construction projects can comply with their legal duties relating to fire risks. It is aimed at all those with a role for developing and managing construction sites, including clients and designers, and is relevant to all construction projects, including small refurbishment sites.
Much of what is contained in the guidance is not new, but the sections covering multi-storey buildings and high risk building such as timber frame have been strengthened to include lessons learned from recent fires.
As the bonfire-building season approaches, building sites often attract children and young people on the look-out for timber waste and scrap wood. Site security arrangements may need to be reviewed, and additional measures put in place during this period, particularly where timber-frame construction is underway. As well as putting themselves at personal risk, trespassers may increase the risk of fire on-site.
HSE welcomes the publication of the Common Sense Common Safety report into health and safety.
HSE’s Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC) will be holding an open meeting on Wednesday 17 November in London. If you would like to attend the meeting please follow the link below to register your interest. Please note seats are limited in number.
Read details of some recent HSE prosecutions and enforcement action in the construction sector and find sources of relevant advice.
25 October 2010 - HSE prosecuted Howorth Scaffolding Services Ltd and Glenmill Group (Developments) Ltd after a worker fell five metres from scaffolding.
Peter Walton, 55-years, had been working on a project to build three new office blocks when he fell. The court heard that Mr Walton was critically injured when an unsecured board on the scaffolding gave way. He died five weeks later in hospital.
Howorth Scaffolding was fined £25,000 was ordered to pay £13,793 toward the cost of the prosecution. Glenmill Group was ordered to pay a nominal fine of £1 with costs of £13,793 toward costs. The judge said the fines reflect the companies' current financial situations.
25 October 2010 - A roofer has appeared in court after four of his employees were spotted balancing dangerously on a barn roof in Cheshire.
Joseph Jones, 61, was prosecuted by HSE after an inspector found Mr Jones giving instructions to the men, who were working approximately four metres above the ground, while they refurbished the roof. The Inspector immediately requested that the workers come down from the roof. He then issued a Prohibition Notice requiring work to stop until scaffolding or edge protection had been put up at the eaves of the roof.
HSE took the decision to prosecute due to the serious nature of the health and safety breach, and the potential risk to the lives of workers. Mr Jones was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,000.
12 October 2010 - A Kent-based construction and engineering company has been fined after an employee suffered severe burns when his jack hammer touched unexposed underground electricity cables. The firm did not have a capable supervisor on site, there was no suitable system in place for the identification of underground cables and additionally, the employee was not trained to dig within 500mm of the live cables, a factor which led to the electrical explosion.
Dwyer Engineering Services Ltd was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay costs of £14,532.
7 October 2010 - A two-year-old child escaped with minor injuries injury after a 17 metre wide shop hoarding collapsed on him at a Merseyside shopping centre. The toddler was enjoying a day out with his father and grandparents when the hoarding overturned. The hoardings had not been designed properly, they could not withstand the wind and they blew over as the family walked past.
Wates Construction Ltd and Dean Lotwick, who trades as Hammerwich Construction pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 28 (2) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. Wates Ltd was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,273, while Dean Lotwick was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £6,963 costs.
The following information has been added to the HSE website:
Improve the health and safety of your business by attending a health and safety event near you.
Places currently available at the following Working Well Together (WWT) events.
Plus many more events over the forthcoming year.
HSE is providing an opportunity to take part in a fully funded "joint" workshop for health and safety representatives and their managers. These worker involvement workshops focus on developing a more collaborative approach to the management of key health and safety risks, covering topics such as stress, hand arm vibration, working at height and musculoskeletal disorders.
They are open to any size of organisation, from any sector, who have an identified need to improve their current health and safety consultation arrangements. The workshops can be delivered either within your organisation (minimum of 8 delegates must be present) or along with other organisations.
Find out more by calling HSE's dedicated training provider (Premier Partnership) on their "do your bit” training team number 01302 349629, or alternatively email your details.
Ladder Exchange is back to help remove more dodgy ladders from Britain's workplaces. Nearly 7,000 dodgy ladders have been removed from the workplace since its launch. This year's initiative will run until 30th November. If you have a ladder which is broken, damaged or bent, you can part - exchange it for a safe, new one at one of our partner companies.
Visit our website to find out how you can get involved and for details of participating retail partners
We issue eBulletins on a regular basis and would welcome your feedback and views as well as any suggestions/contributions for future articles.
Thank you to those who have provided feedback on the previous editions - we have tried to incorporate as many of the suggestions as possible.
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