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Half of building sites close in swoop on safety
Alexandra Wood BUILDING work was brought to a halt at nearly half the construction sites in Hull this week after inspectors said they failed to meet safety standards.
One of the biggest causes of concern was unsafe scaffolding and poor planning with regard to working at height. The way heavy materials were handled was also a cause for concern.
More than a dozen prohibition notices were issued and a small number of companies may face prosecution.
Fifty-six sites were visited over Tuesday and Wednesday, with work stopped at 24 where workers were considered to be at risk of serious, potentially, injuries.
It follows a similar initiative in North and North East Lincolnshire where inspectors stopped work on 17 sites.
Health and Safety Executive Inspector Dave Stewart, who was involved in the inspections, said: "Although health and safety standards on some of the sites visited were good I am disappointed at the amount of work inspectors had to stop because there was a clear risk to people's safety."
There were 59 deaths and more than 3,600 major injuries last year in the industry, many of which the HSE says were "entirely preventable".
Mr Stewart added: "In light of the poor performance observed during these visits we are going to continue to target construction companies that cannot demonstrate satisfactory health and safety standards when inspecting in the area.
"If it comes to a notice or prosecution there are serious matters that need to be dealt with.
"We don't just serve them willy-nilly."
He warned that "saturation" inspection would continue in parts of South Yorkshire, the Humber region, and North and North East Lincolnshire.
Paul Sewell, managing director of the Sewell Group, said inspections exposed contractors who did not invest in health and safety adding: "We consider that every incident avoided or potential life saved worth every hour or pound spent."
But he warned that burgeoning rules could eventually prove counter-productive.
"We consider third party audits to be very important but equally so would be the close working between the HSE and contractors to develop leaner more manageable systems and procedures that can be practicably delivered on site.
"Our joint goals should always be creating a safer working environment rather than ever increasing regulation which may ultimately be counter productive."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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