Health and Safety Executive "Falls and Trips in Construction 2007" Campaign
Deaths attributed to falls are still the biggest cause of fatal injury facing the UK Construction
industry with 24 of the 59 worker deaths in 2005 / 06 resulting from falls from height. In addition
to this, there are over 4,000 cases being reported to the HSE every year with serious injuries such
as broken bones and fractured skulls. More than 50% of these incidents involved falls from height
or tripping over materials. As a result of these injuries Employer’s Liability Insurance Claims are
costing construction companies millions each year.
A very high proportion of these injuries are easily avoidable and the Health and Safety Executive
have made it a priority to greatly reduce the impact these injuries have not only on the construction
industry (through absenteeism and Employer’s liability claims), but also on the lives of the workers and their families.
Continuing the work of the Fit Out Campaign 2005 and the Watch Your Step 2006 Initiative Health
and Safety Executive Construction Division Inspectors visited nearly 1300 construction sites and 1600
Contractors during the months of June and July looking at issues such as falls and good order.
Resulting from these inspections 244 Prohibition Notices were issued on work at height and good order
grounds. A further 39 Improvement Notices were also issued for the same reasons. On top of these
another 143 Notices were issued for other serious concerns. Some of these cases were deemed so severe
by Health and Safety inspectors that further investigations have been warranted which could lead to prosecution.
Almost 33% of sites and 25% of contractors inspected were found to be operating below Health and
Safety standards. Health and Safety Inspectors have the power to issue notices such as the Prohibition
and Improvement Notices, which mean that work must stop immediately or improvement is required within
a specified timeframe respectively.
Insurance is affected by the lack of health and safety and you may find your Public Liability policy premium increasing.
Working At Height
Working at height is the largest single cause of fatality within the construction industry.
Regardless of this 1 in 6 sites inspected were deemed to be unsafe and issued with Prohibition Notices.
Insurance companies tend to charge higher Public and Employers Liability insurance premiums if you work at height,
use heat or work with water. If there is a higher frequency of claims then you may find yourself spending a lot of
time trying to find a company that will be able provide a liability insurance quotation for your business.
Slips & Trips
Slips and Trips have been proven to be the biggest cause of serious injury. Most of these injuries occur
through untidy walkways and could easily be avoided. This issue should not be overlooked as Health and Safety
Inspectors ordered almost 40 Enforcement Notices regarding Good Order issues.
Planning
Good Health and Safety practices within the construction industry make good business sense, for instance your
public liability insurance quotes will drop considerably. Liability Insurance like all insurance is based upon risk,
if you have Health and Safety measures in place your employees will be less at risk therefore your employers liability
insurance quotes will be less. In fact our exclusive Norwich Union Liability Insurance Policy even reward clients with
good Health and Safety measures through additional discounts. Click here for a highly competitive Public Liability Insurance Quote.