Clean up your act: you're on camera!

Closed-circuit television cameras and on-the-spot fines could be commonplace on all construction sites if radical plans by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) to combat bad site conditions are given the green light.

The groundbreaking proposals are to be included in a report that will be sent to companies of all sizes in April as part of the CIOB's ongoing 'Change in our Sites' campaign.

CIOB president Stuart Henderson said: "We need rules that can be easily enforced, so why not fixed penalty notices for building control and health and safety?

"For example, £500 for a missing toeboard and £500 for failing to keep a register of employees on site, including their CSCS numbers.

"Other legislation could remain and be used, but zero-tolerance fixed penalties would change contractors' practice very quickly," he said.

The CIOB also believes there needs to be better enforcement. "With a system of fixed penalties we could privatise the enforcement," said Henderson.

"Why can't we have a construction version of traffic police and wardens with digital cameras and pads of fixed penalty notices? The fines could pay for the enforcement system."

A third proposal is the introduction of a simple registration system to make clear the identity of contractors working on a site.

"Every site could display the contractor's licence numbers and failure to do this would be a criminal offence. Most other countries have a licence system for contractors, why can't we have one here?" asked Henderson.

A proposal to make all contractors' employees wear a uniform is also discussed. "It's an image thing and offers a simple identity and would allow clients and members of the public to differentiate between contractors on sites," said Henderson.

Strategic Forum chairman Peter Rogers liked the proposals. He said: "We seem to accept filthy building sites as the norm because it is part of industry culture, but what would happen if we refused to go to work on these sites or stopped work on them?

"I have closed down projects and made people spend time reorganising. If we were to enforce this approach, it could have a dramatic and immediate effect on the culture of our industry," he said.

The proposals were discussed as the CIOB launched its 'Code of expectation' last week. This sets out the directives that must be observed on members' sites (see box below).