Construction firms must not ignore advice

Construction firms in the UK have been warned by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) not to ignore advice about potential risks.

The body made the call after a business from Lancashire was fined for failing to take note of warnings about traffic management systems on one of its building sites.

Alasdair Green stated that all constructions 'have a duty of care' to ensure areas of work are 'operated in a safe way', which suggests the importance of using personal protective equipment.

Discussing this case in particular, he said: 'This is a company that has repeatedly put the safety of both the public and its own workforce at risk by not securing sites and by failing to manage pedestrian and vehicle movements.

He added: 'This company received numerous warnings, both from the HSE and from its own safety experts, about areas where it needed to improve, but it failed to take heed of the warnings. This company must take safety issues seriously.'

Martin Overstall of the HSE recently stated that taking precautions while working at height is 'often simple'.

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