Cost implications for failing to protect construction workers
Recent findings by the Health and
Safety Executive have highlighted the risks facing construction
companies of failing to properly protect site workers.
30 I 07 I 10
Last week a major construction company was
fined £10,000 and ordered to pay costs of almost £5,000 for not
complying with regulations on working at height.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found a
number of shortcomings including unguarded lift shafts on the first
and second floors, and inadequate edge protection to prevent
workers from falling. Fortunately no injuries were sustained in
this case, but it will serve as a stark warning to all companies to
ensure that any work carried out at height is properly managed.
The high level of fatalities in the construction industry has
been a major focus for the HSE in recent years, with falling from
height accounting for one of the main causes of deaths. Statistics
from 2008/2009 show that 53 people were killed in the construction
industry in the United Kingdom, 21 of which were as a result of a
fall from a height greater than two metres.
Recent HSE figures show that 41 construction
site workers were killed in the period from 1 April 2009 to 31
March 2010, a marked improvement on the figures of previous years.
Some will argue that the falling numbers are due to improved health
and safety procedures, albeit others will point to fewer
construction projects undertaken during the recession.
Alun Tobias, Senior Associate in the Construction, Energy and
Projects team at Hugh James, commented: “The message from the HSE
is clear – principal contractors are responsible for the safety of
everyone on site. Companies that do not put safe systems of work in
place will be punished – something which must be welcomed by the
industry to ensure fewer accidents.”