Apr 7 2005
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) construction inspectors will again ‘Take a Designer to Site’ during April and May 2005, continuing the campaign to reduce the number of incidents involving falls from height in the construction industry. HSE construction inspectors will meet designers and planning supervisors on a range of construction sites across Scotland and the North of England.
Designers will be challenged on the way design issues affect the risks associated with work at height during the construction and the future maintenance of a building. Work at height remains the single most significant cause of fatal incidents on construction sites in Great Britain (GB): responsible for over half of all construction related deaths during 2003/4.
While many designers are increasingly showing greater confidence and enthusiasm in applying resources and innovation tackling the risks associated with falls from height, others unfortunately, continue to fail in this vital area of the construction process. Previous initiatives in 2003 and 2004 revealed that many designers failed to eliminate hazards, reduce risks and provide project-specific information despite having legal duties to do so since the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 (CDM) came into force on 31 March 1995.
HSE hopes that this year’s initiative will show continued improvement in the way designers are fulfilling their duties. However inspectors will be taking appropriate enforcement action to secure improvements from designers who fail to meet the minimum legal standards.