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Health and Safety News

Occupational health and safety news and guidance

Blog posts : "construction"

Safety measures all construction workers must take

Photo shows a construction worker holding a hard hat

To ensure the safety of themselves as well as clients there are certain safety measures all construction workers must take to assure everyone on a site it free from any potential danger. For more read our article.

Safety measures

Construction is considered one of the most dangerous occupat…

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Health and safety in the construction industry

Photo shows a construction site

It is a marvel when you get to see tall skyscrapers which are the end products of months or years construction work. The final building looks amazing especially the outer glass panels that reflect the blue sky. Furthermore, occupants get to have the best view of the city’s skyline every single d…

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How to stay safe when handling bricks

Photo shows a worker moving bricks in a wheelbarrow on a construction siteBricks are an important ingredient needed in most construction projects. We have been using bricks for thousands of years and many homes and commercial buildings are built with bricks. Whilst bricks are popular, it’s important you know how to use them safely to avoid suffering any handling injuries.…

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Leicestershire construction firm fined after sacks of rubble thrown from building window

Photo shows works working at height and a large bag of rubbleJ A Ball Ltd. of Coalville was fined £13,000 with £1,182 costs after admitting breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

Workers were spotted throwing sacks of rubble from a building project opposite a police station, police officers called the Health and Safety Executiv…

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London construction firm fined for dangerous basement excavation

Photo shows dangerous basement excavationLondon construction company Darma Limited has been fined after an unannounced inspection from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found dangerous conditions on a basement excavation site. 

The inspection of the site on Filmer Road in Fulham was carried out during a clampdown on poor safety con…

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How to avoid a worker's compensation claim on your construction zone

Photo shows a worker on a construction siteThe number of work related injuries, both in the UK and Australia, is quite high. In fact, 2012-2013 saw an estimated 646,000 work related accidents with 1/3 of those leading to three or more missed work days and another 1/3, seven or more missed days. While self-reported non-fatal injuries have fal…

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Three injured in floor collapse at Trafford mansion

Photo shows the collapsed floor at the mansion

Two building firms have been ordered to pay a total of £72,000 in fines and costs after a floor collapsed during the construction of a six-bedroom mansion in Trafford, injuring three workers.

One of the men sustained major injuries when he was struck by a falling concrete beam, was in hospital f…

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Dorset firm fined after Christmas crane collapse

Photo shows the crane involved in the incident

A Dorset-based property developer has been told to pay a total of £97,681 after residents living near one of its construction sites in Essex were evacuated when a 45 metre crane jib collapsed.

The incident was one of two that happened in December 2011 at a site in South Road, Saffron Walden. Bot…

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More than 1,100 construction sites fail safety checks

Photo shows unsafe work at height discovered during HSE campaign

Poor standards and dangerous practices were found at nearly half of the building sites visited during a month long safety drive.

During a nationwide campaign, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited 2,607 sites where refurbishment or repair work was taking place.

Inspectors found basic saf…

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Company and director sentenced following house collapse

Photo shows the collapsed buildings on Fulham Road in Westminster

A Buckinghamshire construction company and its managing director have been fined for multiple safety failings following the total collapse of two large properties in Westminster.

The buildings, on Fulham Road, were reduced to rubble in January 2011 and neighbouring properties sustained serious st…

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Two companies prosecuted for gas mains fire in Leeds

Photo shows gas mains fire near residential buildings

Two major companies were responsible for a major blaze in Leeds that led to the evacuation of six homes, the closure of a major road and gas supplies being cut off, a court heard on 31 July 2013.

Leeds-based Northern Gas Networks Operations Ltd. and Morgan Sindall (Infrastructure) plc both neglec…

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Building firm in court after Wolverhampton house collapse

Photo shows the partially collapsed house after the incident

A Wolverhampton building firm has been fined for neglecting basic construction safety after it dug a trench that caused the partial collapse of a house next door.

On 4 June, Wolverhampton magistrates court heard that Astbury Design and Build Ltd. had been employed to build an extension at a prope…

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Enforcement action taken at one in five construction sites

Prohibition Notice served on this site - 17 metre drop and no edge protection

Nearly one in five construction sites visited across Britain have been subject to enforcement action after failing safety checks.

In a month long initiative, inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited a total of 2363 sites where refurbishment or repair work was taking place and…

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Ribble Valley firm prosecuted for unsafe scaffolding

workers on unsafe scaffolding at a farm in the Ribble ValleyThe lives of several construction workers were put at risk as they worked on unsafe scaffolding at a farm in the Ribble Valley, a court has heard.

The men were spotted working on a barn conversion in Mellor Brow in Mellor on 13 March 2012 during a series of on-the-spot inspections carried out by th…

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CSCS tests: Why construction site health and safety is important

CSCS cardsBetween April 2010 and March 2011, 50 workers were killed on UK construction sites. The construction industry accounts for just 5% of employees in Britain, but 27% of fatal injuries happen on construction sites.

When you look at the figures, it’s clear that construction sites are some of the most d…

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Redhill company fined £167,000 over worker's death

A Redhill-based construction company has been ordered to pay £210,000 in fines and costs after an employee died following an explosion on a construction site in central London. The explosion occurred following damage to an 11,000 volt live cable within an excavation.

Ioan Boboc, 22, a constr…

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Hertfordshire property developer prosecuted after workers put at risk

A property developer has been fined after the routine inspection of a construction site discovered safety failings that endangered the lives of workers.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors visited Stefano Di Piazza's construction site at Sun Street, Waltham Abbey, Essex, on 10 Feb…

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Construction company fined over multiple safety failings

An Ammanford construction company has been fined after a routine inspection at one of its sites revealed a number of dangerous failings.

T Richard Jones (Betws) Ltd. was operating a site at St Michael's Church, Manselton, Swansea on 10 August 2011 when Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspec…

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Bricklayer's fall puts Berkshire builders in court

A construction and design company in Berkshire has been prosecuted for safety failings after a bricklayer was seriously injured when he fell three metres through a skylight opening in a flat roof.

The worker broke his pelvis and wrist in the fall at Holmsbury St. Mary, Surrey, on 18 November …

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Construction company fined over near-death fall

Floor planks collapsed into the basement with the grey steel beam that failed lying on top of the planksOn 27 July, a Surrey construction company was ordered to pay £160,000 in fines and costs after a worker narrowly escaped death when he was caught in a collapse of nine tonnes of steel and concrete.

Bola Akinola, 48, fell more than four metres when steelwork supporting concrete floor planks f…

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