Those responsible for the safety of high-rise residential buildings in England have six months from April to register with the new Building Safety Regulator. The Building Safety Regulator was established to protect high-rise residents from unsafe building practices in England in response to the Grenfell Tower fire. Under the Building
As a manager of a construction site, it is your duty to ensure the safety of everyone working. There are a lot of potential hazards that could cause people a lot of harm, so you must make sure you are doing everything you can to ensure people are kept safe.
HS2 Ltd recently celebrated innovations to improve health and safety at works sites across Britain’s largest construction project. HS2’s health and safety campaign, Safe at Heart 2022 Inspiration Awards, chose three winners after receiving over 100 submissions from across the project, which now supports more than 25,000 jobs. Entries were
For the first time, RoSPA has rewarded an organisation for its efforts in promoting safety outside of the workplace through its internationally-recognised awards scheme. Hindustan Coca Cola Beverage Pvt Ltd’s (HCCBPL) DASNA Plant in India has been announced as the first winner of the Safe@Work, Safe@Home Award, a new category
Protecting.co.uk, a health & safety and employment law expert, has undertaken a survey that shows a staggering 76% of tradespeople admit to doing at least one ‘Friday job’ which they are ‘ashamed of’. From slapdash plastering to lackadaisical joinery, it seems that the British public are suffering when it comes
Safety is one of the most important aspects to maintain in any construction project. There are regulations governing how health and safety must be handled, including the right safety measures to put in place and HSE policies to follow. Despite the extensive regulations, health and safety risks must also be
One of the world’s leading manufacturers and distributors of health and safety solutions, Seton, has launched a pioneering speed bump which offers market leading strength and durability. With an innovative ground fixing rail system that significantly reduces deformation and distortion, the Seton Speed Bump has been developed following extensive research
Fully certified first aid training is being offered by Specflue, a leading supplier of flues, chimneys and renewable heating products based in Sudbury. Local facilities offering this type of training are very limited so the move is expected to be welcomed by local businesses as well as individuals. It is
Running a business from your own premises can be costly, not only in terms of regular outgoing bills but also to pay external contractors to come in and conduct work, whether that is to redecorate the office or to get on the roof and clear the gutters. Whatever work is
Health and safety in the workplace, particularly in the building and construction industries, are of paramount importance to individuals around the world as well as in the United Kingdom. However, alarming figures collated by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) have indicated that despite the continued implementation of
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
Those responsible for the safety of high-rise residential buildings in England have six months from April to register with the new Building Safety Regulator. The Building Safety Regulator was established to protect high-rise residents from unsafe building practices in England in response to the Grenfell Tower fire. Under the Building Safety Act, high-rise residential buildings which are 18 metres tall or higher, or at least seven storeys, with two or more residential units are defined as ‘higher-risk’. Across England there are approximately 12,500 of these buildings and the new regulator will require all of them to be registered from April 2023, with a named person responsible for maintaining their safety. “This registration process is an important step towards building a safer future for residents of high-rise buildings. We want it to be clear where responsibility for safety in these buildings lies. As the Building Safety Regulator, we will draw from our experience to provide guidance and oversight for the industry and lay the foundation for a world-leading building safety regime, which is a part of our mission to protect people and places,” said HSE Chief Executive Sarah Albon. A new campaign aimed at owners and managers of high-rise residential buildings will highlight their new legal duties. It will call on those responsible for the safety management of higher-risk buildings to prepare for a new wave of regulatory change to ensure that they are ready to step up and comply. The registration process is a crucial stage in setting up the new building safety regime. Registering buildings in scope will be a legal requirement and owners and managers who fail to comply by October 2023 will be investigated and may face prosecution. “Our message is clear – industry must raise its standards and residents of high-rise buildings in England must be kept safe. This is a landmark moment for building safety, the information provided through registration will be an invaluable part of our crackdown on unsafe building practices. Those who are responsible for high-rise residential buildings must register; failure to do so will be against the law,” added Chief Inspector of Buildings Peter Baker. Building registration is a major step in a package of measures to ensure high-rise residential buildings are safe for residents and users. It follows the introduction of Planning Gateway One in August 2021 and will be followed by more robust building control of high-rise developments, and the certification of occupied high-rise buildings by the new Regulator. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
As a manager of a construction site, it is your duty to ensure the safety of everyone working. There are a lot of potential hazards that could cause people a lot of harm, so you must make sure you are doing everything you can to ensure people are kept safe. Because there are so many potential hazards, it can take a lot of time to come up with a safety strategy that works. However, it is so important that you do not rush or overlook the importance of safety, as this could result in someone getting seriously injured. In this article, we will go over some top tips to help you manage your construction site safely. If you are a manager on a construction site, then this article is for you. Keep on reading to find out more. Provide Regular Training One thing you need to do to ensure safety on your construction site is to provide regular training. Training is essential for everyone who is working on construction as allows everyone to stay updated with any changes. It is important that you provide everyone who enters the construction site with proper training and that you offer additional training when needed. If someone has been working on the construction site for a while, their knowledge of safety regulations may not be as sharp as it was in the beginning. It is your duty to ensure that they get adequate training throughout their time on the construction site. It would be beneficial for you to host regular training sessions every few weeks to ensure that all staff on your site are kept updated with safety protocols. Install Proper Safety Signs Another thing you can do to ensure safety is maintained on your construction site is to put up the proper safety signs. Safety signs are an important part of maintaining safety as they give your staff details on what they should and shouldn’t be doing while on site. Not only this but safety signs are a mandatory requirement for all UK construction sites, so you could be breaking the law by not having them in clear view. Ensuring that you have the right signs in place should be a pretty easy task, all you need to do is follow the guidelines that are available online. Once the signs are up, you should make sure that all of your staff know exactly what they mean so that they can adhere to the rules. The signs are pretty self-explanatory, but it would be beneficial if you ensured everyone was trained to recognise what the signs mean. Ensure Employees Take Breaks Ensuring that your employees take their scheduled breaks is essential when it comes to maintaining safety on a construction site. One of the easiest ways to cause an accident while handling heavy machinery or equipment is if the person is overworked. Being overworked and tired can affect how the brain works, and it can lead people to make small mistakes. These small mistakes while handling heavy machinery can lead to a serious accident and someone getting hurt. Make sure that your employees have a place they can go to have their lunch break and relax. A good way to spend your time while having a break is by playing some mobile games. Switching your mind off work and focusing on something like a game is a great way of recharging your mind before you go back to work. Gaming on IOS has never been easier, and there are plenty of mobile games that will help your employees relax during their lunch break. Regular Inspections Of Equipment And Machinery While working on a construction site, it is likely that you will need to use a lot of heavy machinery. Things like forklifts and cranes are commonly found on construction sites as they make the construction process that bit easier. If you have a lot of heavy machinery on your construction site, then it is important that you get the machinery regularly inspected. Regular inspections will help you maintain safety on your construction site as the inspections will let you know if there are any faults in the equipment. If some faults are found during the inspection, they can get fixed right away, or you can get a replacement. Proper Safety Equipment Proper safety equipment is a must on construction sites as a lack of proper equipment could result in serious injury. You should ensure that equipment comes from a reputable company and that your staff know what safety equipment they need to be wearing when they are operating heavy machinery. Things like hard hats must be worn when you are on site as these will protect you should anything fall on your head. Additionally, everyone should be wearing high-vis jackets so that they can be easily identified while on site. Having proper safety equipment is one of the most important things you need to be aware of when you are working on a construction site. As mentioned previously, there are numerous hazards on a construction site, so you must be doing what you can to keep your team safe. Ensuring that your team always wear the proper safety equipment will help you maintain a safe construction site. Clear Communication With any line of work, clear communication is essential as it helps you avoid any misunderstandings. Clear communication is perhaps even more important while working on a construction site as a simple misunderstanding could lead to a serious injury. As the manager, you should have open communication with all of your staff, and you should emphasise the importance of communication skills. Open and clear communication while operating heavy machinery can help to keep everyone safe as you can inform people quickly if something goes wrong. Make sure that during your training sessions, you teach everyone what to do if they find themselves in potential danger and make them understand how important it is to act quickly. Quick and precise communication can potentially save a
HS2 Ltd recently celebrated innovations to improve health and safety at works sites across Britain’s largest construction project. HS2’s health and safety campaign, Safe at Heart 2022 Inspiration Awards, chose three winners after receiving over 100 submissions from across the project, which now supports more than 25,000 jobs. Entries were submitted under Safe at Heart’s three categories: I Care; You Count; and We Matter. A simple innovation introduced by the occupational health team of HS2 contractor EKFB won in the I Care category. Ahead of building the 80km central section of Britain’s new high speed railway between London and the West Midlands, main civil works contractor EKFB needed to install a series of batching plants along the route to supply concrete to work sites beside the line. Each of the four plants arrived as giant kits to be assembled on site. Fixing together all the parts of each batching plant involved tightening over 2000 bolts with spanners and powered torque wrenches. Eagle-eyed Tim Callow and Bill Strachan of EKFB’s safety, health & welfare team saw an opportunity to boost the health and safety of workers building the plants by radically reducing their exposure to handheld power-tool vibrations. Insulating the tool with a rubberised sleeve reduced by 95% the vibration transmitted from tool to hand. In a UK-first, HS2’s Chilterns Tunnel contractor, Align, won in the We Matter category by deploying robotic technology that has boosted worker safety, quality and efficiency on the production line making the tunnel’s concrete ring segments. The segment production line’s health and safety has been enhanced through the automation of two stages of manufacture. The first sees a robot deployed to clean and oil the segment moulds before wet concrete is poured into them. By automating this role workers’ exposure to the dust during the cleaning process is eliminated. A second robot smooths the top surface of the mould, boosting product quality and homogeneity as well as freeing up worker time to add the human touch to the finishing process that automation might miss. Elsewhere on the HS2 project, the introduction of innovative hearing protection at London work sites; and creation of HAZID* which gives workers a simple and easy-to-follow framework to create higher-quality risk assessments was recognised in the You Count category. Technical Services Delivery Director, Emma Head said: “We received over 100 entries for our Health & Safety awards, which is impressive and shows how much great work is already happening across HS2 to embed Safe at Heart into everything we do. “We’ll take the improvement in practices from this year’s entries and winners, and look at how we can implement them elsewhere on the project. “As a massive and long-term programme that is forecast to support around 34,000 jobs at peak construction, there’s an opportunity not just to see these innovations and initiatives implemented route wide on HS2, but also to affect long term change across the construction industry.”
For the first time, RoSPA has rewarded an organisation for its efforts in promoting safety outside of the workplace through its internationally-recognised awards scheme. Hindustan Coca Cola Beverage Pvt Ltd’s (HCCBPL) DASNA Plant in India has been announced as the first winner of the Safe@Work, Safe@Home Award, a new category in the RoSPA Health and Safety Awards. Sponsored by L’Oréal, the award places emphasis on good health and safety practice being taken beyond the threshold of the shop floor and out into the community. The Safe@Work, Safe@Home Award initiative reflects an increasing focus on “carry-over” programmes, which recognise that employees and their families and friends are affected by injury and ill health outside of the work environment. RoSPA chief executive Errol Taylor said: “A simple look at accident rates will tell you that our workplaces are the safest place you can be, while accidents at home and during leisure pursuits are rising at an alarming pace. “We feel that employers can and should have a large part to play in helping to protect not just their workforce, but the wider community, utilising sound health and safety practice developed over many years to share vital, preventative skills and knowledge. And not just for reasons of corporate social responsibility – an injury or ill health suffered by an employee, or a family member, in the home or during leisure time will lead to lost working hours and reduced productivity. “I congratulate HCCBPL DASNA Plant on being the first recipient of the Safe@Work, Safe@Home Award – it’s no mean feat, and the judges, including L’Oréal’s corporate health and safety director Malcolm Staves, were hugely impressed by their inspirational programme of work in the community. “I also want to thank L’Oréal for sponsoring and helping us to develop this award – their own carry-over health and safety programmes have been a huge inspiration to us here at RoSPA.” HCCBPL DASNA Plant was praised by RoSPA Award judges for its “Me We World” programme, which typifies the ethos of Safe@Work, Safe@Home, and its holistic approach to conversations about home accidents as part of the overall safety management programme, including “My Home, My Safety”. HCCBPL DASNA Plant has also won the Initiative of the Year in the Inspiration Awards category for its My Health Index programme, RoSPA Gold Award, and a Silver RoSPA Fleet Safety Award. The first RoSPA Awards gala dinner presentation ceremony took place in Birmingham last night (June 6). Other RoSPA Award ceremonies are taking place alongside Safety and Health Expo at London’s ExCeL on June 18, and in Glasgow on September 12. For more about the RoSPA Awards, see www.rospa.com/awards As part of its national accident prevention strategy, “Safe and active at all ages”, RoSPA is encouraging employers to develop carry-over programmes. See www.rospa.com/national-strategy for more info.
Protecting.co.uk, a health & safety and employment law expert, has undertaken a survey that shows a staggering 76% of tradespeople admit to doing at least one ‘Friday job’ which they are ‘ashamed of’. From slapdash plastering to lackadaisical joinery, it seems that the British public are suffering when it comes to pre-weekend work. The study, which surveyed 500 workers across various trades, showed that a majority of tradespeople – like workers in many other professions – lose concentration as the end of the week edges closer. However, many of them were seemingly very relaxed about this dip in productivity, despite the potentially expensive consequences for their customers. One worker, who asked not to be named, confessed: “It was Friday afternoon – I knew that light switch was upside down, and shame on me, but it was time to go to the pub.” Another, who confessed to rushing interior decorating jobs in the run-up to the weekend, said: “It’s almost traditional now – Friday afternoon jobs get done quickly so you can have an early finish for the weekend. Everybody does it!” JR a web designer from Leeds said: “I should have spent more time making that website perfect so google could find it, but it still works.” Sam, a decorator from London, also said: “I didn’t use masking tape and lets just say I hope that customer is blind as those lines are not straight.” “Not only do these ‘Friday jobs’ tend to result in problems which can cost consumers dearly further down the line, they also open up a can of worms when it comes to health and safety. If the correct precautions aren’t taken due to workers being preoccupied, trade businesses could be liable for much more than just complaints and money spent fixing botched jobs,” said Chris Hall, spokesperson for Protecting.co.uk. “Failing to follow correct protocol such as protective clothing regulations or correctly storing hazardous substances on-site because workers are eager to get the job finished could have very grave consequences. It is up to businesses to ensure their employees are correctly trained and aware of the requirements for their role – and, of course, to protect themselves against complaints or expensive remedial work for customers,” he added. There are steps businesses can take to reduce dangerous errors as a result of ‘Friday jobs’, Hall noted. Properly assessing health and safety requirements for each job and then training employees accordingly will increase overall caution taken, but he added that it was also key to tackle the causes of the drop in productivity.
Safety is one of the most important aspects to maintain in any construction project. There are regulations governing how health and safety must be handled, including the right safety measures to put in place and HSE policies to follow. Despite the extensive regulations, health and safety risks must also be mitigated from the planning stage. Anticipating risks and making plans on how to deal with them isn’t as complicated as you think. Many of the risks faced by construction projects are actually risks that can be foreseen. To help you plan better for potential health and safety risks, we are going to take a look at the common risks to mitigate in this article. Crowded Work Environment Crowds gathering in certain areas of the work environment is considered a serious safety risk that needs to be handled properly. When workers gather in one particular area of the site, the risks of a workplace accident causing harm to more people gets significantly higher. There are other situations that are completely avoidable. When heavy machinery is used to perform certain tasks, it is not uncommon for workers to gather around the work area and watch. Their presence is a serious risk; the workers are exposing themselves to serious risks of injury. A good way to mitigate these risks is by creating clear policies and setting up boundaries around the work areas, especially when machinery is in use. This way, you can limit the number of people present in these areas to a minimum; only authorised and essential personnel must be allowed near the work area. Machine Loading Another high-risk point in a construction project is when heavy equipment is being loaded and unloaded. There are a lot of risks to think about, from the machinery rolling off the transport truck and harming people around the area, to the trailer or truck not having enough room to reach the unloading and loading area. Similar to crowded work areas, risks associated with getting heavy machinery in and out of the site can be reduced with a series of tight health and safety policies. Making sure that only essential workers are present is a must. You can also use additional tools to help keep these processes as safe as they can be. Lights are essential when the work is done at night. Safety strips, lines limiting the work areas, and other safety tools can also help manage the work area better, all while keeping that area safer for workers and the equipment you are loading and unloading. Uneven Terrain Slopes are among the most dangerous things you can face on a work site. When building on uneven terrain, extra precautions must be taken to ensure sufficient attention to health and safety. Working on slopes also requires special handling in most cases. When moving trucks and other machinery up a slope, for example, the process should be straightforward. As long as the machinery has enough power to get to the top of the slope – or the work area – you have fewer risks to worry about. Going down the slope, on the other hand, is actually riskier than you realise. Many workers on the site will take going down a slope as an easy thing to do, causing them to focus less on safety and the safety measures put in place to prevent accidents. Machinery rolling down the slope can damage property in the work area and harm workers too. Machinery Issues When talking about machinery issues in a construction project, you know you have a lot of risks to mitigate. Bigger risks like heavy machinery tipping over due to uneven terrain or excessive load are usually easier to manage. They are serious risks that require special handling from the beginning. Smaller risks, on the other hand, are trickier to handle. Issues like a piece of nail getting caught in a circular saw are seemingly small issues that are often overlooked, but they are issues that can also cause serious harm to workers near the work area. The best way to mitigate these risks is by making safety equipment and protective gear a necessity. The level of protection can also be set above the required limit so that workers remain safer while working around the project site. Safety training is just as important. Employees must complete the necessary health and safety courses; taking it a step further and getting your staff through all the important courses – rather than the bare minimum – is also greatly recommended. The fact that finding good health and safety training is easy in the UK makes it even better; you can browse around this site for health and safety courses in your area led by trained experts. Combined with other risk mitigation tips we covered in this article, you now have enough to cover the health and safety basics for your next construction project.
One of the world’s leading manufacturers and distributors of health and safety solutions, Seton, has launched a pioneering speed bump which offers market leading strength and durability. With an innovative ground fixing rail system that significantly reduces deformation and distortion, the Seton Speed Bump has been developed following extensive research into current customer needs and existing products within the marketplace. Designed to last, the Seton Speed Bump boasts a unique chevron interlocking shape for enhanced strength, while the rail system significantly reduces the stress levels of the ground bolts, minimising the risk of the speed bump being dislodged and damaging vehicles. A colour contrast lifetime guarantee ensures the speed bump remains highly visible for maximum impact. Ed Barnes, Traffic Innovation Manager at Seton commented: “Existing traffic calming products are notoriously characterised by low durability and poor quality, with recent research showing that almost a quarter of motorists have suffered vehicle damage due to such measures. As health and safety experts, we wanted to develop a solution to these problems, providing businesses and organisations operating a private car park the ability to meet their legal obligations. “The Seton Speed Bump is the result of an intensive and extensive research and development programme. It has been designed to tackle the common problem of speed bumps being ripped up, offering a durable, easy install solution for facilities managers, health and safety managers and estates managers as well as contractors and installers.” The unique Seton Speed Bump rail system enables bolt heads to be as close to the car park’s surface as possible, greatly reducing bolt movement. The upright surface of the rails improves lateral drag resistance and increases crush resistance, which provides additional strength and durability in comparison with standard non-rail installation speed bumps. Available in two height and material options, the Seton Speed Bump marks the start of an extensive programme of innovative product development for the health and safety manufacturer and distributor. With health and safety laws growing increasingly complicated, Seton aims to simplify the process by developing products that ensure compliance. For more information, visit: www.seton.co.uk/seton-speed-bump
Fully certified first aid training is being offered by Specflue, a leading supplier of flues, chimneys and renewable heating products based in Sudbury. Local facilities offering this type of training are very limited so the move is expected to be welcomed by local businesses as well as individuals. It is a legal requirement for companies to offer some first-aid provision because employers need to ensure that an employee who is injured or taken ill at work receives immediate attention. The Specflue first aid training is open to anyone over 16 years old who wishes to participate. Workplace welfare authority the Health and Safety Executive will always prosecute in cases where there is a significant risk, a disregard for established standards or persistent poor compliance with the law. Specflue can provide four levels of first aid training. The first – ‘First-Aid at Work’ – takes 18 hours and is delivered over three consecutive days. The course comprises practical and theoretical classroom work, as well as a practical assessment on CPR and first aid. It results in a qualification, valid for three years, by delivering the comprehensive set of practical skills needed by first aiders in most workplaces, enabling attendees to deal with first aid emergencies to the standards required to help comply with Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations. The course covers a range of content including head injuries; managing an emergency; resuscitation; burns and scalds; severe allergic reaction; chest pains; shock and eye injuries. The second course – ‘First-Aid at Work Refresher’ – is run over two days and enables attendees to requalify as a first aider. The aim is to update and refresh attendees’ knowledge of the First Aid at Work syllabus, while allowing time for revision and practice sessions in preparation for a written assessment. The third – ‘Emergency First-Aid at Work’ – is a six-hour course delivered in one day. The course comprises of practical work and theoretical classroom work, including practical assessment on CPR and first aid. It is designed to help attendees meet regulatory first aid requirements in smaller, low-risk workplaces. The course provides basic lifesaving first aid and workplace health and safety regulations, covering things like the role of the first aider; Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations; adult CPR; communication and casualty care; seizures; bleeding; choking, and using a defibrillator. Finally, Specflue will offer half-day first aid annual refresher training suitable for people who have completed either the three-day First Aid at Work or the one-day Emergency First-Aid at Work courses. Specflue’s David Ebbs, who will run the courses, has 29 years’ experience as a first aid trainer. He said: “It is strongly recommended that holders of a first-aid certificate should attend at least an annual update. The majority of first aiders hope that they are not going to be called upon to use the qualification, but, without practising the skills they will lose the knowledge and abilities they’ve gained. There will also be of changes in procedures to contend with. “Bearing in mind that it is a legal requirement to have first aiders at work, if nobody was available or somebody offered first aid incorrectly, then it opens up a massive potential for a law suit against the business.” Specflue can also offer paediatric first aid courses for nurseries and schools. Furthermore, automated external defibrillator courses are available at the Specflue training facility, either as standalone training or as a ‘bolt-on’ to an existing first-aid qualification. For more details, contact training@specflue.com or call 0333 9997974.
Running a business from your own premises can be costly, not only in terms of regular outgoing bills but also to pay external contractors to come in and conduct work, whether that is to redecorate the office or to get on the roof and clear the gutters. Whatever work is needed to be completed by contractors you need to make sure your business premises is safe enough to conduct work in, and implementing the following into your workplace is essential. Site Induction for All New Visitors It doesn’t matter how big your premises is you should always do a site induction for any new contractors that have to work on the site, and that will mean explaining to them where the nearest fire exits are, and of course letting them know where the fire assembly point is if there is a fire. There are many other safety explanations to make sure contractors are aware of. Doing a site induction may take time out of your day, but it’s something that needs to be done to ensure the safety of all visitors. Built-in Ladders around the Warehouse A lot of business premises are built around warehouse environments so you need to make sure there are numerous built-in ladders to ensure contractors can get to their place of work safely. Sometimes you may need to get roof access ladders if contractors need to conduct work on the roof, and other times you may need to look at built-in ladder options if there are roofs within the warehouse environment itself. Make Sure Working Areas Are Clean & Tidy Not only will you want to make sure your working environment is clean and tidy for your employees to work more efficiently and safe in, but when you have visitors you will also want to protect them as much as possible. In a warehouse environment, you will find that there is always banding around that can be tripped over, and plenty of other materials that can cause slips and potential injuries. Always make sure your employees keep the working environment clean and tidy as that will protect you if any other contractors come in to conduct work. Abide By Health & Safety Regulations Health & safety regulators are sometimes known to be over the top when it comes to making warehouse environments safe to work in, but following the rules is important for the safety of all employees and external contractors. If you do not follow the rules not only will you be subject to fines, but your employees could succumb to injury. Implementing the above into any warehouse environment is important for your employees and visitors. If you do not implement the above you may find workers get injured and that could be a costly expense to your business, and in some cases, it could mean you lose your business altogether. It might be a costly investment in terms of money and time to make your working environment safe, but it’s a mandatory practice and all business owners should be doing it to protect themselves and everyone working in the area.
Health and safety in the workplace, particularly in the building and construction industries, are of paramount importance to individuals around the world as well as in the United Kingdom. However, alarming figures collated by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) have indicated that despite the continued implementation of health and safety regulations in the workplace, many of these have not been followed or simply been ignored by members of the industry. The evidence based on this alarming and worrying claim is based on the staggering amount of fines accrued by building firms for not carrying appropriate risk assessments or putting their employees’ lives in danger and at great personal risk. The year 2016 recorded a total of 19 fines imposed amounting to sums worth a million pounds or even greater than that, the greatest even reaching to a 5 million pound fine. This is clearly a disgrace to the building and construction industries and demonstrates that not enough businesses in these sectors are regarding the safety and wellbeing of their workers as it should be. It is also worth bearing in mind that fewer fines of staggering amounts were imposed during the year 2015. In fact, not a single fine amounting to 1 million pounds was imposed on a single business in 2014: this is not due to the fact that safety measures were implemented much more in that year than more recently. Rather, the reason for this increase in fines is also that the IOSH is imposing larger penalties than ever before on businesses that neglect the safety of their workers and it is hoped through this that this will be a way of ensuring that businesses regard the safety of their employees more seriously now that they can be fined huge amounts for negligence. Shelley Frost of the directing body of IOSH has explained how injuries in the workplace destroy lives forever and it is therefore essential that all is done to ensure that businesses give health and safety the attention that it deserves.
