HSE cracks down on falls from height

Health & Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors will blitz construction sites throughout the country next month, checking on falls from height risks.

The HSE inspected 1,446 sites in June this year - and enforcement notices were served at one-third of them.

Chief inspector for construction Kevin Myers said inspectors will be looking for an improvement in onsite performance compared with the last blitz. "Clearly, the message of how to reduce falls from height is not yet understood by everybody working in this industry. Given that most fall from height accidents are preventable, there is no excuse for not ensuring that all work being carried out at height is done safely."

The latest blitz, which starts on Monday 8 September and runs for a fortnight, is part of the HSE's Don't Fall For It campaign.

The blitz is backed up by an instructional video, A Head For Heights, which is designed to explain to everybody on site the risks of working at height and how they can be safely managed. The video features re-enactment of fall from height accidents and "their tragic consequences".

Thirty-three construction workers and one member of the public were killed in 2002/03 due to falls from height.

• A few tickets are still available for CJ's corporate manslaughter conference at Aston Villa Football Club on 17 September. Rosi Edwards, head of operations in the HSE's Wales, Midlands and South West construction unit, will speak at the conference. Contact Teresa Murphy on 020 8652 3887 or send an e-mail to teresa.murphy@rbi.co.uk.