Many construction site managers may remember hearing a statistic being talked about on past training courses that one person a month dies just walking past a construction site, it often forms part of the CITB Site Managers Safety Training Course This statistic has been brought tragically to life by an accident which occurred in Hanover…
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We are all used to HSE visiting site and reviewing our arrangements on safety. If these fall below expected standards we typically see Fee for Intervention costs (FFI) and the possibility of the serving of Improvement or even Prohibition notices. What’s unusual is when a HSE Inspection results directly in prosecution. HSE launches several campaigns…
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Temporary works are an area where greater focus on safety is required. Some confusion can still exist over who takes responsibility for these areas and risks can sometimes be underestimated. The case above involved the construction of a foundation for a large steel structure as part of the foundation for a pressure test facility at…
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Both the building owner and the contractor they employed to demolish a structure have received heavy fines following safety failings which led to an uncontrolled collapse onto a high street in November 2013 and the CDM Client fined £160,000. It is a requirement of CDM 2007 (now replaced by CDM 2015) that a construction CDM…
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Occupational Road Risk – The Journey With roadways becoming more congested, concern about the impact of diesel on the environment, roadworks that seem to go on and on, with risk based arrangements in place to calm traffic through road developments, the challenge for planning travel by road for companies, so they remain cost effective, whilst…
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There have been more instances of tele-handlers and dumpers overturning on construction sites with often tragic consequences. These days we have trained operators and good site traffic management on most sites we see but in spite of this we are still seeing too many overturns. This gave use cause to think and discuss this in…
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You may recall a national story regarding a viewing which went horribly wrong when a lady fell into a well within the properties garden. The local estate agent, Strakers (Holdings) Ltd was showing the house to Mr and Mrs Driver and they were told to look around the grounds on arrival. In the garden Mrs…
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As an employer you have the duty to assess the risks to Health, Safety and Welfare of all persons in your employment and also to those not actually in your employment but entering your premises – members of the public or visitors to your site. You have diligently carried out your work place risk assessments,…
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You are most probably aware of the duties you have as a client to select contractors which are competent and adequately resourced for safety Particularly when working at height using equipment such as a MEWP (Mobile Elevating Work Platform). Sometimes you will also need to convince others within your supply chain or business of the…
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HSE now has a policy of ‘looking beyond the garden gate’ in construction accidents. in this particular case the directors of a roofing business, and also the director of the business which contracted this work out to them, have seen custodial sentences (see our earlier blog for another example of this type of prosecution: Directors…
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