黑洞社区

The Health & Safety Executive has warned that it is focusing on construction staff working at height as part of a month long drive to improve safety standards in the sector.

It said inspectors would be visiting sites where refurbishment and repair works were being carried out as part of an 鈥渋ntensive鈥� initiative aimed at reducing death, injury and ill-health.

According to the HSE鈥檚 statistics some 50 construction staff were killed as a result of workplace accidents in 2010/11, with a further 2,298 suffering major injuries.

Chief inspector of construction Philip White said the refurbishment sector continued to be the most risky for construction workers.

鈥淎ll too often straightforward practical precautions are not considered and workers are put at risk,鈥� he said.

鈥淚n many cases, simple changes to working practices can make all the difference.

鈥淧oor management of risks in this industry is unacceptable. As we have demonstrated in the past, we will take strong action if we find evidence that workers are being unnecessarily put at risk.鈥�

The HSE said a particular focus of attention would be the level of planning that had been put in place to ensure that staff working at height benefitted from appropriate precautions.

Other considerations would include the correct assembly and installation of equipment, on-site organisation, and the extent to which walkways were free from obstructions.