Basement construction site owners urged to check safety
08 December 2011
CIS card holders involved in basement construction have been urged to check the safety of their sites and make changes if best practices are not being followed.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recently carried out a study in four London boroughs and discovered that many were not adhering to safety standards.
Out of 109 sites, four were so dangerous that they were closed immediately and enforcement action was taken at a further 40.
There were found to be risks of workers falling from height and landing in unprotected floor openings.
HSE spokesperson Andrew Beal said: "Safety standards in many basement projects are well short of acceptable, as our inspection initiative shows. Companies constructing basements must not be complacent about the risks."
Although construction only accounts for around five per cent of Britain's employees, it makes up 27 per cent of cases involving fatal accidents and nine per cent of those resulting in major injuries.
Filed under: CIS, construction industry, HSE