Sadly, since our article on 17th January which covered Working at Height, the death of another construction worker has been in the news, this time in Toxteth, Liverpool. A businessman was fined over £100,000 when it was discovered that the labourer, who died in 2009, fell whilst fitting roof panels – scaffolding had not been erected.
Working at height is only one of the many risks construction firms face. The industry is critical to the UK economy, according to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) it brings, employment to around 2 million people; it is also one of the most hazardous industries. The HSE has published a very useful document entitled, “Plan of Work 2011/2012”. You can download a copy here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/work-plan-2011-12.pdf
It talks about some of the unacceptable standards it finds on some sites. One statement is especially relevant to small construction firms: “Over the next 12 months we will be devoting more of our time and effort to regulating smaller sites and businesses and at the same time evolving our approach to larger contractors. We want to utilise our resources more effectively so that we concentrate on helping small businesses (SMEs) and dealing with serious breaches of health and safety law.” Construction firms cannot say they haven’t been warned.
The HSE publishes a lot of useful information, this section covers site organisation:
HSE: Information about health and safety at work
This section covers safety topics:
Construction - Information & advice on safety issues
Working at height is only one of the many risks construction firms face. The industry is critical to the UK economy, according to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) it brings, employment to around 2 million people; it is also one of the most hazardous industries. The HSE has published a very useful document entitled, “Plan of Work 2011/2012”. You can download a copy here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/work-plan-2011-12.pdf
It talks about some of the unacceptable standards it finds on some sites. One statement is especially relevant to small construction firms: “Over the next 12 months we will be devoting more of our time and effort to regulating smaller sites and businesses and at the same time evolving our approach to larger contractors. We want to utilise our resources more effectively so that we concentrate on helping small businesses (SMEs) and dealing with serious breaches of health and safety law.” Construction firms cannot say they haven’t been warned.
The HSE publishes a lot of useful information, this section covers site organisation:
HSE: Information about health and safety at work
This section covers safety topics:
Construction - Information & advice on safety issues
