Over a third of construction sites were well below standard, safety inspectors found during the recent national falls from height blitz in September. HSE inspectors visited 1,429 sites around the country, where 332 prohibition and 82 improvement notices were served. Thirteen potential prosecutions are also being considered.
Kevin Myers, Chief Inspector for Construction today condemned the industry for its failure to raise the standards of work at height. Mr Myers said:
"Since the beginning of April this year 17 construction workers have died due to falling from height and it remains the single biggest killer in this industry. Given that most falls from height accidents are preventable, there is no excuse for not ensuring that all work being carried out at height is done safely.
"What inspectors found during the second blitz of the 'Don't Fall For It' campaign suggests that a large section of the industry is not improving itself, as it claims. Many in the industry are deliberately cutting corners, paying lip service to safety and risking the lives of their workers."
In 2002/03, 33 construction workers died and many thousands more suffered a serious injury as a result of a fall from height in the workplace. Falls from height are the most common cause of fatal injury and the second most common cause of major injury to employees.