19 August 2014
Construction inspections find sites failing to prevent health risks
A national targeted inspection focussing on health risks for construction workers saw enforcement action taken at one in six of hundreds of sites visited. During the two week period of proactive inspections, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) demanded improvements, and in some cases put an immediate stop to work activities, where they fell short of expected standards. Inspectors focussed on significant health risk issues, such as respiratory risks from dusts containing silica materials, exposure to other hazardous substances such as cement and lead paint, manual handling, noise and vibration.
Final figures have yet to be confirmed, but conditions were so poor in some situations that the work had to be stopped on at least thirteen occasions. A total of 560 sites were visited and enforcement notices were served at 85 of them. 13 Prohibition Notices were served and 107 Improvement Notices. A total of 239 health-related Notices of Contravention were served at 201 of the sites.
