Construction sites failing to manage health and safety risks

During September, a targeted inspection campaign found poor standards and dangerous practices on a number of Northern Ireland’s construction sites.  

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) made unannounced visits to 102 construction sites to check that high-risk activities were being properly managed, such as working at height and the control of exposure to harmful dusts.

Inspectors were also looking for good site order, sound structures and basic welfare facilities.

As a result of the visits, 11 Prohibition Notices were served to stop dangerous work at height and one Improvement Notice was served for inadequate welfare facilities.

Every one of these unsafe work sites had the potential to cause serious injury or death.

The most common problems identified included:

• failing to protect workers during work at height
• lack of face-fit tests for tight fitting respiratory protection (generally disposable face masks) and
• inadequate welfare facilities

It was disappointing to find a number of sites falling below acceptable health and safety standards. Precautions for common activities including work at height are well known and practical guidance such as HSG33 ‘Health and Safety in roofwork” is freely available from the HSENI and HSE websites.

• HSG33 ‘Health and Safety in roofwork (PDF – 6.58 MB)

However, on a positive note it was encouraging to find that:

• most site supervisors have received suitable training
• the majority of sites are acceptably tidy
• on the majority of sites 100 per cent of the workers had the minimum of a one day site safety training qualification

Examples of good and bad practice discovered by our inspectors during the campaign are shown.

Good Practice above and Bad Practice below.