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HSE begins month-long crackdown on poor safety standards at construction sites


The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is to target building sites where refurbishment projects and repairs are underway as part of a crackdown on poor safety standards.

Inspectors from the national workplace safety regulator will carry out a series of unannounced checks at these sites over the month of September, it has announced. Inspectors will focus on how high-risk activities, such as working at height and work that could cause exposure to harmful dusts, are being managed. They will also check that toilets, handwashing stations and other basic welfare facilities are being provided where needed.

"Too many people die or are seriously injured every year on Britain's construction sites as a result of entirely avoidable incidents," said Heather Bryant, the regulator's chief construction inspector. "Just as importantly, workers are unnecessarily being exposed to serious health risks, such as asbestos or silica dust, which can have fatal or debilitating consequences."

"Often we find it is smaller companies working on refurbishment and repair work who are failing to protect their workers through a lack of awareness and poor control of risks. This initiative provides a chance to engage with these firms to help them understand what they need to do, so they can put in place the practical measures needed to keep people safe," she said.

According to HSE estimates, around 70,000 builders are currently suffering from ill health as a result of their work. Construction workers also remain nearly four times more likely to be killed at work than the average worker, despite a "welcome reduction" in the number of people killed over the last year.

During their unannounced visits, HSE inspectors will consider a number of factors that highlight construction companies' responsibilities to their workers. They will look at whether jobs that involve working at height have been identified, properly planned and include appropriate precautions, such as proper support of structures; and that any on-site equipment is correctly installed, inspected and maintained.

Construction sites should be well organised, with any walkways and stairs free from obstructions, and work areas should be clear of unnecessary materials, the HSE said. Companies will also be inspected to see whether they have proper monitoring and control arrangements in place to prevent unnecessary exposure to harmful dusts, such as asbestos.

"If we find evidence that workers are being unnecessarily and irresponsibly put at risk we will not hesitate to take robust action," the HSE's Heather Bryant said. "Companies who deliberately cut corners can expect to feel the full weight of the law."

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