One in five construction sites fail health and safety checks

One in five construction sites failed health and safety checks during the latest national inspection initiative carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), according to figures released this week.

Inspectors from Britain’s workplace regulator visited 1759 refurbishment sites during March and checked on how 2145 contractors were complying with health and safety regulations.On 348 sites sufficiently serious risks were discovered to warrant enforcement action being taken, either stopping work immediately or ordering improvements to be made. Close to five hundred enforcement notices were issued.

Phillip White, HSE’s new Chief Inspector of Construction, said:"This inspection initiative was well publicised and for our inspectors to still find this level of disregard for basic health and safety standards on refurbishment sites is disappointing...While any improvement has to be welcomed, our inspectors still found practices so far below the acceptable standard that they felt it necessary to take enforcement action on one in five sites. This is still very worrying."

Last year (2007/08) over half (52%) of the workers who died on construction sites worked in the refurbishment, repair and maintenance sector.

During the inspection initiative, HSE inspectors looked at whether:

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