HSE warns Cambridge firms after visiting 18 construction sites during March

Date:

24 March 2009

Release No:

HSE/E/156

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned construction site managers in Cambridge to put health and safety at the top of their priority list after a week of visits revealed problems including unsafe work at height in the city.

HSE carried out a week of targeted inspections in March as part of its Shattered Lives and Hidden Killer campaigns .

Inspectors targeted 18 locations in Cambridge, visiting projects where refurbishment, repair and maintenance projects were taking place. The main issues being looked at were work at height, good site order, and risks associated with removal of asbestos. 7 Prohibition Notices, which order work to stop until it may be performed safely, were served.

Peter Galsworthy, HSE Principal Inspector for Construction in Cambridgeshire, said:

"All employers in Cambridge must ensure they take health and safety seriously. Construction sites are dangerous places in which to work and it is important that health and safety is properly addressed at all times. Five sites were found to have serious health and safety issues - such risk to the workforce is unacceptable. As stated before our last inspection initiative, while workers in the refurbishment sector continue to be injured and killed, HSE will continue to target those contractors who flout health and safety law and come down hard on them where necessary."

Two Prohibition Notices were served in relation to work at height, where a temporary roof and a scaffold respectively did not have adequate edge protection. The other Prohibition Notices referred to issues including a potentially unsafe quick hitch attaching an excavator bucket, airborne silica dust from a disc cutter, and risk from an unsupported excavation.

Last year (2007/08) more than half (52%) of the workers who died on construction sites worked in refurbishment, repair and maintenance, in line with a similar shocking statistic the previous year (2006/07). The HSE aims to inspect 1500 refurbishment sites across Great Britain throughout March, to tackle poor health and safety standards.

During the initiative, HSE Inspectors looked at whether:

• Jobs that involve working at height had been identified and properly planned to ensure that appropriate precautions were in place
• Equipment was correctly installed / assembled, inspected, maintained and used properly
• Sites were well organised, to avoid trips and falls
• Walkways and stairs were free from obstructions
• Work areas were clear of unnecessary materials and waste
• Risks associated with asbestos removal were managed correctly and carried out in accordance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006
• The work force was made aware of risk control measures.

More information is available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives/construction/index.htm and http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/index.htm

Notes to editors:

1. For the latest HSE statistics visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/index.htm
2. An ISDN Line is available for Radio interviews.
3. For more information on HSE's Shattered Lives campaign visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives/index.htm
4. For more information on previous inspection initiatives in February 2008 and Summer 2007 visit http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/tripsandfalls/update.htm#feb08 . Previous inspection initiatives include the Watch Your Step initiative in 2006 at http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/falls.htm and the Fit Out Campaign in 2005 at http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/falls.htm
5. The initiative is enforcement-led with considerable effort being made to seek out poor performance - it is not a random sampling exercise.
6. Reducing the number of injuries and deaths from trips and falls is a priority for HSE to help the construction industry meet its accident targets by 2010.
7. Peter Galsworthy & other construction industry specialists will be available for interview upon request.
8. HSE launched a campaign on 23 February 2009 aimed at increasing awareness of the health and safety responsibilities faced by those involved in developing property as part of their business. For more information visit www.hse.gov.uk/property

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