HSE inspection blitzes

When the HSE embarks on an inspection blitz it invariably uncovers worryingly high levels of non-compliance.

For example, almost half of domestic basement projects across three London boroughs failed unannounced safety checks during a two-day inspection initiative undertaken by the HSE in March 2015. Inspectors visited 127 sites across Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, and parts of Westminster. They took enforcement action at 62 sites (48%), serving 44 Prohibition Notices requiring dangerous practices to stop with immediate effect; 12 Improvement Notices requiring safety improvements to be made; and 63 Notifications of Contravention identifying “material breaches”.

At two projects, conditions were so dangerous that inspectors were forced to close the sites. More than two thirds of the Prohibition Notices served dealt with the risk of workers falling from height, either into unguarded excavations or through unprotected floor openings, as well as un-shored excavations. Inadequate welfare provision accounted for half of the Improvement Notices.