Risk news

Contractors and businesses operating in the construction sector have been told not to put their employees' safety in danger by looking to cut back on costs.

In a typical year, hundreds of construction workers are left seriously injured because their safety has not been viewed as a priority by the company they are working for at the time, said the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The regulatory body issued the warning to firms in the sector after it carried out a series of inspections on construction sites in Greater Manchester.

While the majority of sites had good health and safety procedures in place, 42 of the 163 which were visited - representing more than a quarter - failed their inspections.

A total of 56 enforcement notices were issued to the sites which did not meet minimum health and safety requirements. Some of these required work to be stopped immediately, while others needed improvements to be made.

Some of the companies involved may end up facing prosecution.

Almost half of the enforcement notices were issued for failures in the safety procedures which are necessary when working at height.

This is particularly significant given that HSE has been running a campaign aimed at raising awareness of the dangers of workplace slips, trips and falls, with the construction sector one of the areas to be targeted.

Other failures recorded by inspectors included unsafe electronics, dust and the general state of sites.

"We will continue to make unannounced visits to sites, and take enforcement action when necessary, until the message gets across," said Polly Tomlinson, HSE principal inspector for construction in Greater Manchester.

"It simply isn't worth taking risks to try and save money."

Responding to the news, Andrew Couch, consultant at Aviva Risk Management Solutions, says: "When the construction industry is having such a bad time it is easy to see how cost-cutting on health and safety can seem an appealing idea. But time after time this has been shown to be a false economy. The savings from reducing safety standards is more than exceeded by the additional costs of the consequences in life and limb, damage and disruption. Not only is it illegal and morally indefensible, but it makes no business sense either."

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