“Health as well as safety” will be the message from the HSE in its latest month-long initiative to target poor standards and unsafe work on building sites across the country.
In a campaign starting on 22 September, the HSE will carry out unannounced visits to sites where refurbishment projects or repair works are underway.
HSE inspectors will be checking to ensure high-risk activities, particularly those affecting the health of workers, are being properly managed. These include working with harmful dusts such as silica and asbestos, and other hazardous substances. If unacceptable standards are found Inspectors will take immediate enforcement action.
HSE is urging industry to “think health” as more than 30,000 construction workers are made ill by their work every year.
Philip White, HSE chief inspector of construction, said: “Industry has made much progress in reducing the number of people killed and injured in its activities, but for every fatal accident, approximately 100 construction workers die from a work-related cancer.”
Health breaches: failure to suppress dust when cutting stone and dry cutting of tiles without edge protection
The HSE is basing its statistics on the 2012-13 fatality rate when 39 people lost their lives. The government’s Labour Force Survey shows that 2,291 people died from mesothelioma in 2011, and there were a similar number of lung cancer deaths caused by asbestos.
Almost a thousand lung cancer fatalities were attributed to silica dust, and over 500 were linked to diesel engine exhausts.
White continued: “During the recent health initiative, enforcement action was taken on one in six sites. Time and again we find smaller contractors working on refurbishment and repair work failing to protect their workers through a lack of awareness and poor control of risks.
“This isn’t acceptable – it costs lives, and we will take strong and robust action where we find poor practice and risky behaviour.
“Through campaigns like this we aim to ensure contractors take all risks to their workers seriously, and not just focus on immediate safety implications. They need to put in place practical measures to keep workers both safe and well.”
During inspections, HSE inspectors will consider whether:
- risks to health from exposure to dust such as silica are being controlled;
- workers are aware of where they may find asbestos, and what to do if they find it;
- other health risks, such as exposure to noise and vibration, manual handling, hazardous substances are being properly managed;
- jobs that involve working at height have been identified and properly;
- plans to ensure that appropriate precautions, such as proper support of structures, 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 welfare facilities are adequate.
