HSE drive to target poor working conditions

This month witnessed the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launch its latest targeted drive, as it visits building site across the UK to ensure good working conditions and safety practices are being maintained.

The campaign, which started on Monday, June 23, 2014, will carry on over two weeks, with the HSE making unannounced visits to building sites for inspectors to witness working conditions for themselves.

Particularly, the inspectors will focus upon respiratory risks. Inspectors will be looking to ensure that good ventilation is maintained and that workers are issued with and are wearing the right workwear.

Giving intense scrutiny to workers' exposure to silica dust, the HSE hopes to drive down the risks associated. This alone accounted for over 500 deaths last year throughout the construction industry.

They will also be looking for any areas of risks over manual handling, noisy conditions and vibrations, and ensuring personal protective equipment (PPE) is in order.

In an HSE press release, the chief inspector of construction for the work-related health and safety regulator, Heather Bryant, said:

“We need to tackle where workers are unnecessarily being exposed to serious health risks, such as silica dust, which can have fatal or debilitating consequences.

“This initiative provides a chance to engage with these firms to help them understand what they need to do, so they can put in place the practical measures needed to keep people safe.”

Ms Bryant went on to say that while advice and help will be given wherever needed, existing issues will be prosecuted.