Inspectors clamp down on North West's unsafe construction sites

Date:

14 February 2011

Release No:

HSE/NW/23Construction

Unsafe construction sites are being targeted in a month-long inspection initiative after more than 1,000 workers were injured in the North West last year, and eight lost their lives.

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are visiting sites across the region in a bid to reduce deaths and injuries in one of Britain's most dangerous industries.

Half of the deaths occurred during refurbishment, repair and maintenance activities, which will be the main focus of the latest HSE inspections taking place up until Friday 11 March.

Inspectors will make unannounced visits to sites to ensure that work at height is being managed safely, sites are in good order, and the risk of exposure to asbestos is being properly managed.

During a similar month-long initiative last year, 100 of the 343 sites inspectors visited in the North West failed safety inspections. A total of 144 prohibition notices were issued stopping work activities immediately, with more than 40 percent relating to working at height.

Wayne Crumpton, HSE Principal Inspector for Construction, said:

"This will be the fifth year that we have run the inspection initiative and we expect that they'll be examples of both good and bad practice - those where employers are taking all the measures they can to protect their workers, and those where safety is way down the list of priorities.

"A lax attitude to health and safety in one of Britain's more dangerous industries is not acceptable, especially when many of the incidents are completely avoidable by taking commonsense actions and precautions.

"As we've demonstrated in previous years, we will not hesitate to take action if we find poor practice that is putting the lives of workers at risk."

This year, as part of ensuring risks from asbestos are properly managed, HSE will be checking that asbestos surveys have been carried out, when appropriate, before refurbishment work starts.

Many workers believe that, because asbestos has been banned as a building material, it is no longer a threat to them. But any premises built or refurbished before 2000 could still contain asbestos.

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 injuries to construction workers in the North West during 2009/10. The injuries include both major injuries and those where workers had to take at least three days off work to recover.
   
   

   Local authority area	Deaths	Injuries
   Cheshire	2	150
   Cheshire East	0	46
   Cheshire West and Chester	2	47
   Halton	0	23
   Warrington	0	34
   Cumbria	3	94
   Allerdale	1	16
   Barrow-in-Furness	1	12
   Carlisle	0	19
   Copeland	0	7
   Eden	0	12
   South Lakeland	1	28
   Greater Manchester	1	392
   Bolton	0	32
   Bury	1	27
   Manchester	0	118
   Oldham	0	32
   Rochdale	0	28
   Salford	0	52
   Stockport	0	34
   Tameside	0	20
   Trafford	0	20
   Wigan	0	29
   Lancashire	1	213
   Blackburn	0	21
   Blackpool	0	14
   Burnley	0	11
   Chorley	0	14
   Fylde	0	9
   Hyndburn	0	14
   Lancaster	0	16
   Pendle	0	9
   Preston	0	33
   Ribble Valley	0	9
   Rossendale	0	5
   South Ribble	0	21
   West Lancashire	1	21
   Wyre	0	16
   Merseyside	1	183
   Knowsley	0	16
   Liverpool	1	84
   Sefton	0	28
   St Helens	0	24
   Wirral	0	31
   Total	8	1,032

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 remain 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. Further information on the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2007 http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm.htm
5. Further information on falls and trips in the construction industry http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/campaigns/fallstrips/index.htm
6. Further information on asbestos can be found http://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/index.htm

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