HSE stops work on a third of refurb sites

The Health & Safety Executive has slammed contractors working in the refurbishment arena after being forced to stop work on a third of all sites during a recent safety blitz.

The HSE carried out spot checks on 1,000 sites across Britain and had to stop work on 30% after serving 395 enforcement notices.

HSE chief executive Geoffrey Podger said: “Our inspectors were appalled at the blatant disregard for basic health and safety precautions on refurbishment sites across Great Britain.

“We stopped work on site immediately during approximately 300 inspections because we felt there was a real possibility that life would be lost or ruined through serious injury.

“HSE will not tolerate negligence or poor safety standards on construction sites.

“It is totally unacceptable that so many lives have been put at risk and we will take all action necessary to protect workers, including closing sites and prosecuting those responsible.

“The construction industry should take ownership of this issue and do more to tackle poor standards on sites.”

The HSE warned that basic safety precautions are being flouted and issues such as working at height remain a huge concern.

Over half of the enforcement notices issued during the recent inspection frenzy were due to people working dangerously at height, which last year led to the death of 23 workers.

Last year, more than half the workers killed in the construction industry were working on refurbishment sites, where total fatalities ballooned 61%.