Construction Industry is still responsible for most of the workplace injuries and deaths

Construction Industry is still responsible for most of the workplace injuries and deaths.

 Although figures released by the HSE show a reduction in some categories of workers either killed or injured there is still a lot more of improvement required.

Deaths caused by injuries continue to show a possible slight reduction over the last 5 years (although not confirmed) which either reflects the improvements in working conditions or the standards of medical science. The Construction Industry represents 5% of the British workforce and has the highest death and injury rates which remain unacceptable at 27% of the total.  

The figures for work related illness continues to rise year on year at present amount to 1.2Million workers suffering from work related illness that relates to specific work conditions, materials and environments. Illnesses include Asbestosis, Mesothelioma, Cancers, Dermatitis and Stress. Maybe the obvious causes are Asbestos,  Silca and Noise, however, the Sun, Vibration, Tar, Paints/coatings, Extreme Cold or Heat, Solvents, Gases and Fumes can all be identified as the cause of serious illness and death caused by poor work conditions. 

The cause of an accident is simply an unplanned occurrence, however, the vast majority of accidents are the result of failure to plan for those occurrences we know that are most likely to happen.

'Falls from height' plus 'slips trips and falls' are the main causes of the deaths and injuries. Regulations have established responsibilities to -Plan, Assess  and Manage places of work and procedures to ensure safe practices are maintained. Although many employers write policies and establish rules for their workforce as required by law they often fail to ensure that the rules are adhered to or even allow sufficient resources to ensure all work is carried out safely without exception. 

We live in a world where everything must be completed within a tight budget and time scale. 

 Top end management must ensure the budget and time scale is achievable without exposing the workforce to unsafe working practices or conditions.

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Worker fell through unguarded hatch cost employer £18,000

https://www.facebook.com/john.chilver.9/posts/10201948566448425http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/restaurant-hit-18k-bill-after-6656488#
As the report of the court case explains the condition of the trap being unprotected and the limit to the control measures were explained in the following extract:

"On February 5 last year, the duty manager took a beer delivery and opened the hatch in the restaurant.

In a statement he said he shouted to colleagues to be careful but they later said they did not hear him.

He also placed a bin at the kitchen entrance to block it. At first, the manager stood guard over the open hatch but left to answer the phone. When Mr Lally walked through the kitchen he fell into the hole."

If a report from consultants had been produced which did not state 'Stop Work' in this area, they most likely would have been prosecuted for not giving effective advice.This is a classic example of "Be careful out there use your common sense" we all know how effective that is.

My concern is the previous warnings by Environmental Health Officers why wasn't a Prohibition Notice issued? Shouldn't the authority take a proportion of the blame?

Responses by supervisors similar to this example are common when investigating accidents, the most common being "they were warned to avoid the area etc" or "you expect them to use their common sense".
People often say "Safety is just common sense". My common response is "common sense is something we all talk about but we still use a chair to change a light bulb". I believe without exception we all fail to use common sense. Where would we be if our road systems didn't have signs and lane controls and relied on drivers stopping and giving way using the common sense we all talk about.

Preventing falls from height
Below is a brief guide to what may be involved in ensuring safety in a similar work place.

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 covers falls from any height in any circumstance including trenches and work below ground as well as floor edges and traps in platforms or ground level openings. My explanation above  is worded to demonstrate that any fall as a result of an unprotected edge is covered by these regulations. These regulations are not industry specific they apply to all workplaces including offices and shops etc.
The regulations require employers and the self employed to plan work areas and activities to ensure the risk of a fall from height is effectively prevented.
In the court case above a trap door for loading a beer cellar did not have suitable arrangements to prevent persons from falling. The systems that are required for a similar workplace would need to involve rigid barriers which would resist a person from falling in. In addition a system of work is required to ensure the safety of those loading barrels or casks through the hatch. Employers must have suitable and effective Risk Assessments and a system of work known as a Method Statement.
Effective Control Measures must be in place at all times.
For further advice in compliance with safety law please contact john_chilver@yahoo.co.uk