Union hits out at hard hat rules confusion
Ucatt says HSE’s lack of publicity over changes to regulations is ‘placing workers in danger’
One in four London sites fail in safety crackdown
One in four London construction sites visited by inspectors during a month-long initiative failed health and safety checks
Health and safety features
Carbon monoxide: The silent killer
Northern Ireland has taken decisive action to reduce carbon-monoxide related deaths by making alarms that detect the gas compulsory
Feeling the heat: Fire door specification
Incorrectly specified fire doors could, at worst, cost lives. Now a landmark legal case could mean that it’s the contractor and specifier who will end up in court.
Mock court cases for construction: Safety on trial
The HSE’s latest initiative to bring the safety message to the masses is to hold mock court cases for construction professionals to observe. But how effective is it likely to be? Andrew Hankinson plays court reporter
We can’t turn a blind eye: Child labour
Children as young as six are working 12-hour days in some of India’s sandstone quarries. Yet many UK stone importers just don’t want to know about it. Sophie Griffiths reports on a scandal that is getting harder to ignore
Fatal refurb: addressing refurbishment’s poor safety record
Refurbishment is an increasingly popular alternative to new build, but what can be done about its particularly poor safety record?
TrustMark: a £22k tale of horror
This is the story of a man who gave a TrustMark-registered firm £22k to renovate his home. What he got for his money was two weeks’ worth of work, three years of hell and a wrecked house. But how did the builder keep its reassuring logo?
Safety blunders
Safety blunders
Blowing in the wind
“Not only is the plank precariously balanced but there is also a significant fall as the windmill is perched above a rocky outcrop,” notes Clive Woodford, who took this photo while on holiday in Crete.
Dodgy suspension
An ingenious solution to finding a parking space in an inner city shopping precinct
Basket case
Thanks to reader Martin Thorp who sent in this image, which he took in Brussels. Martin says: “The operative was half out of the basket while his mate leans against the controls - no helmets or harnesses!”
Safety blunders: A year of living dangerously
2012 was another vintage year for safety blunder pictures. Here are our top five examples of on-site idiocy
Law
Work related deaths: Swift justice
The third version of the Work Related Deaths Protocol came into effect on 1 October, and it could see firms responsible for a fatality on their site prosecuted a lot quicker
Designing out risk
This is the first high-profile prosecution of an architect under the CDM regulations for a site death, and it shows how the onus is on designers to reduce health and safety risks
The tragic case of a 15-year-old killed on site
Here’s a tragic case of a young man who was killed when a wall collapsed on him. His gaffer was a man of good character who didn’t mean anyone any harm. He got three years
Asbestos: The struggle continues
Companies may think they’re already doing their bit to stay on top of asbestos risks but guidance from the HSE spells out the true seriousness of their responsibilities
Catch me if you can: Avoiding health and safety penalties
If your company faces an enormous penalty for breaking health and safety laws one option is to dissolve the company entirely. But is it right, wise, or even legal?
Clear laws without fuzz: Health and safety in the UAE
UAE confidential: Abu Dhabi’s response to on-site health and safety lapses has been to call in the cops. Thomas Van de Wijngaart and Emma Shepherd welcome early signs of change
On the safe side: Corporate manslaughter and health and safety offences
Fears about the vagueness and leniency of health and safety and corporate manslaughter laws have been assuaged by two new pieces of legislation
