Twenty Per Cent Of Sites Fail Recent HSE Safety Checks

A North West lawyer has called on construction bosses to improve working conditions after a recent Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspection of many Merseyside and Cheshire sites revealed 20 per cent failed safety checks.

One in five construction sites didn’t pass safety tests during the first five days of a month long assessment carried out by the HSE which saw 167 sites visited by inspectors between 20 and 24 February. Shockingly, they revealed 32 had practices that could put workers at risk.

Keith Cundall, a serious injury expert at the Manchester office of leading law firm Irwin Mitchell, said: “Whilst it is encouraging to learn that four out of five sites visited met with safety standards, we are extremely concerned to hear that many still don’t meet the minimum standards required by the HSE, which is totally unacceptable.

“We are regularly approached by workers who have suffered terrible and often life changing injuries in what are often readily avoidable incidents.

“Whilst the vast majority of business covered by the survey should be proud of their achievements, they should join us in demanding safety improvements from their counterparts across the construction industry to keep workers safe.

“We all have the right to go to work knowing that steps have been taken to protect us from suffering injury. We have repeatedly called for improvements to safety standards and will continue to campaign until this happens.”

During the inspection – which the HSE ran to remind construction bosses and workers that poor standards won’t be tolerated and could lead to enforcement action  -  29 Prohibition Notices stopping work activities immediately were issued, as well as 15 Improvement Notices requiring changes to be made to working practices.

50 per cent of the notices related to unsafe work being carried out at height prompting HSE Principal Inspector for Construction to say that companies ‘still aren't doing enough to tackle one of the biggest causes of death and major injury in the sector’ and that ‘Implementing simple, inexpensive changes, or just a moment of extra thought, could prevent someone being killed or seriously injured'.

Our accident at work claims team could help you secure compensation if you have been injured on a construction site. Find out more information on our Construction Accident Compensation page.