The construction industry has launched new guidance to encourage better management of occupational health risks. The Health and safety Executive (HSE) is urging the industry to put an end to the hundreds of construction workers that die of occupational diseases every month.

HSE Inspectors issued more than 200 health related enforcement notices during the recent construction inspection initiative.

The inspections revealed a widespread misunderstanding of what ‘occupational health’ means in the construction sector and the employers’ misguided perception that health is more difficult to manage than safety.

The new guide ‘Occupational Health Risk Management in Construction’ has been written by the Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC) Health Risks Working Group and formatted with the assistance of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

The guidance, prepared by the working group, is aimed primarily at employers, though everyone involved in construction management, such as directors, health and safety professionals, safety representatives and occupational health service providers, should find it useful, particularly in identifying their roles in the management of occupational health risks in construction.

The guidance gives practical advice on what ‘health risk’ means for the construction industry, and the role of occupational health service provision in preventing or controlling those risks.

Ian Strudley, Chair of the CONIAC Health Risks Working Group and HSE Principal Specialist Inspector said:

“The misunderstanding of occupational health within the construction sector means that whilst the industry focus on managing the more familiar safety issues, serious health risks get ignored. We cannot let this continue.

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No.75

“When figures show that construction workers are at least 100 times more likely to die from a disease caused or made worse by their work as they are from a fatal accident, the industry must take action.”

One of the main reasons why health risks are regarded less seriously than safety issues is that those affected often suffer from occupational diseases a long time after exposure to the causes, and therefore endure long, debilitating diseases away from the working environment. Those affected often die prematurely as a result of their illnesses.

Shelley Frost, Executive Director – Policy at IOSH, said:

“There have been huge advances in improving safety in the construction sector over the last 15 years, but the industry has yet to generate such advances in improving the picture in occupational health.

“Every week, 100 people die from construction-related ill health in the UK. Also, less than half of construction workers stay employed in the industry until they are 60.

“This new guide raises awareness of the occupational health issues in construction, demystifies how to best manage them and provides information on where firms can get help and assistance.

“Ultimately, if the advice is followed, it could help to lower incidence rates of occupational ill-health and transform the perception of working in construction to that of an attractive and respectful industry, with great career choices.”

The guidance is freely available on HSE’s and IOSH’s websites:

h t tp ://www.hse.gov .uk/aboutus/meet ings/ iacs/con iac/c on iac -o h -guidance.pdf and

http://www.iosh.co.uk/techguide

Winter 2015/16

NEW HEALTH GUIDANCE SEEKS TO REDUCE PREMATURE DEATHS IN THE CONSTRUCTION

In November, a construction site manager was fined by St Albans Magistrates’ Court for safety failings after a worker was injured whilst working at height.

The court heard how Edwin Heaney of How Wood, Park Street, Hertford, failed to take reasonable care of colleagues while operating a construction site vehicle on a house-building site at Radlett, Hertfordshire. He used an excavator to raise a site worker to cut a protruding piece of steel situated at height.

The court was told Mr Heaney left the operator’s cabin of the excavator, leaving the machine unattended whilst the worker continued to use a handheld grinder. The bucket suddenly jolted downwards throwing the worker off balance. He managed to throw the grinder clear and grabbed onto the adjacent wall to stop his fall. Another colleague then provided a ladder to allow him to get down safely.

The worker suffered several strain injuries, in particular to his right shoulder.

An investigation conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Mr Heaney had failed to take reasonable care for the health and safety of others, the excavator was not suitable equipment for lifting the worker and the bucket attachment was an inadequate work platform.

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HEALTH AND SAFETY NEWS

CONSTRUCTION SITE MANAGER FINED FOR

SAFETY FAILINGS

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HSE Challenges “Sub-Standard”

Refurbishment Industry

Peter Baker, the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE’s) Chief Inspector of Construction has challenged the refurbishment industry to act now and protect their workers, after 46 per cent of sites fell below standards during a recent inspection initiative.

HSE targeted small refurbishment sites during the latter part of 2015 and 692 enforcement notices and 983 notifications of contravention were served where there was a material breach of health and/or safety. Inspectors had to deal with immediate risks, such as work at height and also dealt with sites where workers were exposed to silica dust and asbestos, which could cause long-term health problems.

Health and safety breaches were also followed up with clients and designers, reinforcing their duties under the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015 and helping them to understand their responsibilities.

Despite the high rate of enforcement action, the inspectors found a number of examples of good practice.

Mr. Baker said: “It is disappointing that some small refurbishment sites are still cutting corners and not properly protecting their workers. Falls from height are the most common killer in the industry but we still found workers put at risk to save minutes on the job – believing it wouldn’t happen to them.

“The mis-conception that health issues cannot be controlled is simply not true and ruining people’s lives. Harmful dust, whether silica or wood, is a serious issue and can be managed effectively with the right design, equipment and training. Health effects may not be immediate but the ultimate impact on workers and their families can be devastating. Each week 100 construction workers die from occupational disease.”

HSE’s message to smaller businesses is: don’t wait for an accident or visit from an inspector before making positive changes to reduce risks and prevent accidents and occupational ill health.

A construction firm was fined after a 54-year-old employee suffered severe cement burns to his knees while laying concrete flooring.

Sefton Magistrates’ Court heard that in November 2014, an employee of DLP Services (Northern) Limited, knelt in wet concrete to manually finish the concrete flooring being laid in a domestic bungalow. The cement burns to both his knees resulted in 12 days hospitalisation and ongoing treatment.

A subsequent Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the firm failed to adequately assess the risks and implement suitable and sufficient control measures to protect employees from contact of the wet concrete with the skin. In addition, it did not provide suitable Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and there were no welfare facilities on site.

The court heard the company had been served with HSE Improvement Notices for lack of welfare facilities in September 2014 and June 2014.

HSE inspector Anne Foster said after the hearing:

“The injuries the employee suffered were entirely foreseeable and avoidable had the company implemented suitable controls, such as the use of long-handled tools, or the provision of suitable chemical resistant PPE. It is also wholly unreasonable to expect workers to travel four miles to find welfare facilities.”

DLP Services (Northern) Limited of Cobden Street, Brindle Heath Industrial Estate, Pendleton, Salford, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 22 (1)(c) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations and Regulation 7(1) of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. The company was fined £14,000 with £1590 costs.

Sheffield Metal Firm Fined After Crane Kills Worker

Construction Firm Fined After Worker Suffers Cement Burns

ARKSAFE HEALTH AND SAFETY NEWS

No.75 2 Winter 2015/16

Sheffield based ATI Speciality Materials Limited, who specialise in metal and alloy products, was recently fined after a worker was killed when he was struck by a load on a moving crane.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how 47- year-old Nigel Hall, an employee at ATI, was assisting in moving a crucible from a re-melt furnace.

The crucible had been lifted using an overhead crane and was moved approximately ten yards, whereupon Mr Hall loosened the bolts around the crucible. The crane operator waited for Mr Hall’s acknowledgment to proceed and lifted the crucible a couple of feet higher before pressing the southbound button.

The crane operator saw Mr Hall in the path of the crucible and shouted a warning while stopping the movement of the crane. The crane stopped, but the load swung forward, hitting Mr Hall on the right side of the head. He was taken to Northern General hospital where he was pronounced dead.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident which occurred in August 2011, found that the company had not reviewed risk assessments and safe systems of work for nine years. Many employees who operated cranes had received no refresher training for many years and the training programme for new starters was inadequate.

HSE Inspector Carol Downes said:

“This loss of life could have been entirely prevented. Employers have a duty to ensure safe systems of work are continually reviewed when there are significant changes in the way work is carried out. Working practices should be clear, safe and properly communicated to employees.”

ATI Speciality Materials Limited, of Cyclops Works, President Way, Sheffield, was fined a total of £160,000, with costs of £72,321 after pleading guilty to offences under Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and Regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 2005.

Bill, Caroline and everyone who has worked with us at Arksafe, would like to thank you for your

continued support, and wish you,

and your families, a Happy Christmas and a safe and

healthy year throughout 2016