The construction industry employs over 2 million people, making it Britain’s largest employer, and with over 2800 deaths in 25 years makes it one of the most dangerous. In recent times the numbers in this industry have been cut, and with fewer workers comes the greater risk of injury as workers are rushing to complete there orders. Falls continue to be the biggest cause of fatal injury in Britain’s workplaces.
In the Summer of 2007 and Feb 2008 HSE inspectors visited over 2400 sites and over 3000 contractors, In a number of cases, inspectors believed the situation on site to be so poor that investigations commenced which may lead to prosecution, this is a shocking statistic which has to sorted out.
They are so concerned about the number of employees falling they introduced their “Shattered Lives Campaign”, their figures show that nearly 1000 people each month suffer a serious injury as a result of a slip, trip or fall.
A resent study has shown that there was no distinction made between low and high falls so for all work at height, measures must be taken to prevent the risk of any fall that could cause injury. Simple planning and selection of the appropriate equipment could save some ones life, for example how often is it going to be used and for how long, a simple step ladder will do the job if it is considered “low risk” and not used very often.
It would be wise to remember that ladders and stepladders are the pieces of access equipment used for a wide range of tasks and perhaps the most misused. Use these only as a last option. Mobile platforms are a good way to reach high areas but persons who are responsible for raised platforms must be trained and are required by law to hold a certificate or licence to prove that they are trained and competent.
Tower scaffolds are excellent and safe if erected properly, but in resent months there has been a few incidents where scaffolding has fell from towers and injured either members of the public or workers on the ground. Scaffolding Towers should only be erected by trained and competent people. Workers have to make sure that all scaffolding is stored in the correct way to prevent accidents.
A HSE inspector commented “It is not acceptable for corridors and stairwells to be obstructed with materials, footpaths to be uneven, cables to be strewn across walkways or for steps into site cabins to be poorly constructed.”
It is also important that workers and contractors are aware of the sites policy for managing the materials that enter and exit the workplace, they should also be aware of pedestrian and traffic routes. All walkways must be kept clear of any obstacles that could cause a slip, trip or a fall.
It is worth remembering over 4,000 major injuries such as broken bones or fractured skulls are reported to HSE each year by the construction industry. Over half of these serious injuries involve falls from height or from tripping over materials on walkways. Think Safety Signs have produced a number of signs specifically for the construction industry please call for more information.
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