Flood-hit town gets safety support

Date:

17 March 2010

Release No:

HSE/NW/033Cockermouth

Health and safety advisers have been offering support to businesses in Cockermouth, nearly four months on from the floods which devastated the town.

Hundreds of the flooded homes and businesses are now being refurbished, and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) wants to make sure work is being carried out safely.

Vice chairman of the Working Well Together Group Jim Macdonald, hotel manager Sue Eccles and HSE inspector Dave Charnock at the Trout Hotel in Cockermouth.

More than 2,000 properties in Cockermouth, Workington and Keswick were damaged on 19 and 20 November 2009 when heavy rain led to widespread flooding.

HSE advisers were on Main Street in Cockermouth, where much of the damage was caused, from 7.30am on Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 March.

The seventeenth-century Trout Hotel was one of the buildings to suffer in the floods. Several original features were badly damaged and 15 bedrooms were destroyed. Workington-based company Stobbarts is now carrying out the refurbishment work.

Hotel manager Sue Eccles said:

"We've now been shut for four months and aren't expecting to be open again before the end of May. It would be nice to be open sooner but these things take time.

Vice chairman of the Working Well Together Group Jim Macdonald, hotel manager Sue Eccles and HSE inspector Dave Charnock at the Trout Hotel in Cockermouth.

"It took until the middle of January before the building had dried out, and the workers have now reached the stage where they're replastering and sorting out the electrics.

"We have had tradespeople turning up on the doorstep offering to help out with the refurbishment work, but you never know what they'd be like. We're using a reputable local company to make sure it's finished properly and safely."

The safety event in Cockermouth has been organised as part of the Working Well Together initiative - a partnership between HSE and the construction industry - which aims to improve health and safety in the sector.

It is being held during a month-long initiative to improve health and safety on construction sites across Britain. Two days of intensive inspections are also taking place across Cumbria on 18 and 19 March.

Dave Charnock, a specialist construction inspector at HSE in Cumbria, said:

"Hundreds of workers are killed or seriously injured on construction sites every year. It's vital that the refurbishment work taking place in Cockermouth at the moment doesn't lead to more misery for local people.

"Business and home owners obviously want to see their properties return to normal as quickly as possible. But it's simply not worth trying to finish jobs quickly if it means lives are going to be put at risk.

"Our advisers were on hand to give advice and support to construction workers in Cockermouth. I hope it will lead to the refurbishment projects in the town being completed without injury as a result."

Construction is one of Britain's most dangerous industries. During 2008/09, there were five deaths and 1,339 serious injuries in the North West.

The national inspection initiative is focusing on refurbishment and roofing work. Inspectors are making unannounced visits to ensure that sites are managing work at height safely and are in good order.

Last year, inspectors visited 274 sites across the North West and issued 97 enforcement notices during a similar month-long initiative.

More information on construction safety is available at www.hse.gov.uk/construction.

Notes to editors

1. The following table lists the number of deaths and serious injuries in each local authority area in Cumbria during 2008/9. Three day injuries refer to injuries which required workers to take at least three days off work.
   
   

   Local authority area	Deaths	Major injuries	3-day injuries
   Allerdale	0	7	14
   Barrow-in-Furness	0	7	12
   Carlisle	0	6	14
   Copeland	0	5	9
   Eden	0	7	13
   South Lakeland	0	13	13
   Cumbria	0	45	75

2. During the inspection initiative, HSE inspectors will be looking at whether:
   • Jobs that involve working at height have been identified and properly planned to ensure that appropriate precautions are in place;
   • Equipment is correctly installed / assembled, inspected and maintained and used properly;
   • Sites are well organised, to avoid trips and falls;
   • Walkways and stairs are free from obstructions; and
   • Work areas are clear of unnecessary materials and waste.
3. Falls from height remains one of the most common causes of fatalities and major injuries in the construction sector in Great Britain, with more than five incidents recorded every day.
4. Simple mistakes shatter lives. Information on how to avoid slips, trips and falls from height in the construction industry is available at www.hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives/industry-construction.htm.
5. Further information on the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2007 www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm.htm.
6. Further information on falls and trips in the construction industry www.hse.gov.uk/construction/campaigns/fallstrips/index.htm.

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