Construction healthy handling 2005 - results

HSE Press Release: E043:05 01 April 2005

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) construction inspectors issued 214 enforcement notices across Great Britain during the March 2005 Healthy Handling blitz.

Over 1170 construction projects of all sizes were visited during the blitz in which inspectors targeted site order and organisation, risks from manual handling, the use of wet cement and hand held vibrating equipment and tools.

More than 1600 contractors were met at the sites visited, inspectors issued 214 enforcement notices, of which 112 were on the target topics. The other notices referred mostly to failures to control risks of falls from height.

In a further 244 cases inspectors agreed a voluntary cessation of work activity until improvements had been effected. Healthy Handling topics accounted for 99 of these voluntary cessations.

Inspectors found sites using cement without proper facilities for washing, heavy loads being handled in an unsafe manner and vibrating tools being used when the user was unaware of the safe exposure period.

Kevin Myers, HSE Chief Inspector for Construction said:

"Work related ill health affects a significant number of construction workers, the sector has one of the highest rates of muscloskeletal disorder in the industry. Back problems, cement dermatitis and vibration white finger can ruin peoples' lives and force them out of the industry.

"We have produced guidance outlining simple and sensible precautions to help take account of these hazards. Experience shows that effective management of these risks can reduce or prevent injury and ill health to workers.

"I am pleased to note that on many sites visited by inspectors during this initiative all parties involved in the project were working together to address these health risks by applying the simple precautions set out in the pre-blitz publicity. However there were still far too many sites where this was not the case; where the standards were such that the inspectors had to stop the work or issue enforcement notices to address the shortcomings found. There is clearly still much to be done by the industry to make the most basic precautions more commonplace.

"HSE construction inspectors will continue to focus on health issues during 2005 when we will follow up the poor performers identified in this blitz and also take part in the HSE's cross industry Backs! initiative on musculoskeletal disorders during the Summer. I urge all those involved in the construction industry to look again at the Healthy Handling 2005 information on the HSE website http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/healthyhandling/index.htm "

Notes to editors

1. The Healthy Handling pilot took place in London and the South East during March 2004, see press notice E032:04 http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2004/e04032.htm and E002:04 http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2004/e04002.htm
2. HSE launched new guidance "Handling kerbs: Reducing the risks of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)" on 2 March 2005 http://www. hse.gov.uk/pubns/cis57.pdf see press notice E032:05. http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2005/e05032.htm
3. The free, 5 page guidance sheet "Healthy Handling 2005" can be obtained from the HSE website, http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/healthyhandling/healthyhandling.pdf
4. In 2001, the construction industry set itself the following targets for improvement:
   • Reduce the incidence rate of fatalities and major injuries by 40% by 2004/5 and 66% by 2009/10;
   • Reduce the incidence rate of cases of work-related ill health by 20% by 2004/5 and 50% by 2009/10:
   • Reduce the number of working days lost per 100,000 workers from work-related injury and ill health by 20% by 2004/5 and by 50% by 2009/10.
5. The industry's achievements to date are:
   • 2003/04 had the lowest incidence rates ever for all injuries: fatals, major and over 3 day.
   • The fatal injury rate has fallen 25% since the baseline of 1999/2000 and 40% since the 2001 Summit.
   • The employee major injury rate has fallen 15% since 1999/2000 and 12% since the Summit.
   • The employee over-3-day accident rate has fallen 25% since 1999/2000 and 18% since the Summit Revitalising targets.
6. The Strategic Forum for Construction launched the "Respect for People - Code of Good Working Health and Safety Practices" at the 2005 construction Health and Safety Summit on 24 February 2005. The code encourages commitment to cultural changes that will deliver higher standards of health and safety in the construction industry.

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