Safety blitz on building sites in bid to cut deaths and injuries

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said it was launching an “intensive” three-week programme of inspections to clamp down on unsafe construction sites.

Unannounced visits of more than 100 sites and premises began yesterday focusing on sites carrying out refurbishment and maintenance work – where nearly three-quarters of construction industry deaths occur.

Two men in Hull died in 2009 while working at height, while there were six fatalities and 833 injuries in similar circumstances across Yorkshire and the Humber region over 2009 and 2010.

Painter and decorator Ray Jessop, 53, died when he fell off a ladder while working on a two-storey council house in Cranswick Grove, Hull, on December 7, 2009.

Following his death and concerns about the use of ladders by Mr Jessop’s trade union, UCATT, his employers Keir Building Maintenance carried out a review of its policy of working at height in a bid to improve safety.

A spokesman for Kier said: “The safety of our workforce and the general public is paramount. The death of one of our employees in 2009 following a fall from a ladder resulted in a review of our work at height policy and practices.

“Every job that involves working at height is risk assessed and the appropriate access equipment is selected and deployed for specific circumstances.

“Where the use of a ladder is considered inappropriate, an alternative such as a mobile tower or podium is provided for reasons of safety.”

An inquest into Mr Jessop’s death recorded a verdict of accidental death.

A spokesman for UCATT said: “This tragedy was entirely preventable, however sadly it was far from unique. Far too many workers die in similar circumstances. Construction is the most dangerous industry.

“It is incumbent that everyone involved in the construction industry ensures that corners are not cut when it comes to safety.”

On October 29 the same year, 52-year-old Kevin Jackson died when he fell 30ft through a roof panel while working on a site in Rotterdam Road on the city’s Sutton Fields industrial estate.

Nearly 60 workers were seriously hurt while working on refurbishment, repair and maintenance jobs in North and North East Lincolnshire between 2009 and 2010.

Inspectors will seek to ensure that sites across the area are managing work-at-height safely and that they are in good order, as well as checking that the risk of exposure to asbestos is being properly managed.

The inspections will target a range of building work from domestic roofing jobs to larger industrial unit renovations.

Last year HSE inspectors visited more than 150 sites and 180 contractors in a four-week campaign in Yorkshire and the Humber.

These resulted in the issuing of 34 prohibition notices to stop dangerous work – much of it relating to working from height – and the serving of more than 50 improvement notices.

David Redman, HSE’s principal inspector for construction in the region, said: “This will be the fifth year that we have run the inspection initiative and we anticipate that we will see examples of good practice, where employers are taking the right steps to protect their workers, and bad – where safety comes too far down the list of priorities.

“Poor control of risks in this industry is unacceptable, especially when many of the incidents can be avoided through simple precautions.

“As we have demonstrated in the past, we will take strong action if we find evidence that workers are being unnecessarily put at risk.

“We will also be checking to make sure that the health risks from asbestos are being addressed.”