Results of Construction Division intensive inspection initiative - March 2009

What did we do in March 2009?

• 1759 sites and 2145 contractors were inspected
• 265 Prohibition Notices (PN) on work at height issued
• 17 Improvement Notices (IN) on work at height issued
• 11 Prohibition Notices on good order were issued
• 12 Improvement Notices on good order issued
• 20 Prohibition Notices in relation to asbestos removal issued
• 16 Improvement Notices in relation to asbestos removal issued
• 150 Notices issued on other serious areas of concern
• In 11 cases, inspectors believed the situation on site to be so poor that prosecution is being considered

What did we find?

• During this initiative we found that 1 in 5 sites and 1 in 5 contractors inspected were found to be working below the acceptable standard.

Although encouraging signs of improvement were found on previous initiatives in 2007/08, HSE inspections again identified significant amounts of poor practice across Great Britain.

This time one in five sites, and one in five contractors, were considered to be working so far below the acceptable standard that HSE inspectors felt it necessary to use their powers to serve enforcement notices to immediately stop the work or activity on site (PN), or to require improvements to be made within a specified timescale (IN).

• During this initiative we found that approximately 1 in 6 sites were failing to address work at height risks on site.

Working at height remains the biggest single cause of serious and fatal injuries on construction sites, yet despite this, on average, approximately one in six of the sites inspected demonstrated significant failings in this area requiring service of an immediate PN.

Working safely at height is a matter of following simple precautions. The basic principles are:

• Take time to plan the work
• Select the right equipment and use it properly

Slips and trips, along with falls from height, are the biggest cause of major injuries in construction.  Tripping hazards on site are no joke and should be taken seriously as our inspectors proved once again, serving over 20 enforcement notices in relation to good order issues during this initiative.

Good order on site makes good common sense and is good business practice.  A tidy and organised site tends to be a more productive one, where people are able to spend their time doing the work they’ve been paid to do rather than clearing waste out of the way before they can start or climbing over mountains of rubbish to get to their place of work.

Asbestos is the greatest single cause of work-related deaths in the UK.  It is a serious health issue and construction workers carrying out work on buildings built or refurbished before the year 2000 could be exposed to asbestos without even knowing it.  Despite the very real and grave dangers, our inspectors served nearly 40 enforcement notices in relation to asbestos removal.
It is essential to find out whether refurbishment work is likely to disturb asbestos either from checking existing records (such as the client’s survey, asbestos plan or register) or commissioning a suitable survey before any construction work starts.  It is good practice to include the need to survey asbestos and protect or remove it in the initial project cost and programme.

What can you do to manage risks on site?

Further sources of information to help you manage working at height, good order risks on site and removal of asbestos:

• Working at height
• Falls website
• Good Order
• Slips and trips website
• Asbestos