Nine construction firms fined £28k after HSE blitz

Nine construction companies have been fined a total of £28,000 after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted them for
breaching health and safety regulations governing the danger of workers falling from heights.

The prosecutions, which took place at City of London Magistrates' court, represented one of the largest number of cases HSE has brought to court in one day, and followed a week-long construction safety blitz in London between 29 April and 3 May this year.

The nine companies, all based in London and the south east, were fined a total of £28,050 after pleading guilty to offences under Regulation 6 of the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996.

HSE's prosecuting inspector Barry Mullen, said: "We have sent out a significant message to the construction industry that HSE is ready to deal with the risk of falls from height in a positive and firm manner.

"We will not flinch from taking strong enforcement action against anyone who does not comply with health, safety and welfare
laws.

"Most of the firms prosecuted had viewed the action taken against them as positive and are putting measures in place to improve safety, although the construction industry still has a long way to go."

Two-hundred-and-tenty-three construction sites were inspected during the blitz and 110 Prohibition Notices served. Unsafe work was stopped on nearly half the sites visited for issues such as a failure to provide proper fall protection and a lack of welfare facilities.

The blitz was the first of a rolling programme of inspections to be held across the country this year and concentrated on falls from
height and welfare.