HSE halts work on three sites in Chester saying it is "disappointed with general standards"

The Health and Safety Executive has stopped construction work on three sites and issued a total of 12 enforcement notices in a week-long targeted inspection of Chester sites.

HSE said that problems uncovered included:

  • Poor risk management on site
  • Unsafe scaffolds
  • Risk of falls from height
  • Unsatisfactory welfare facilities
HSE construction inspector Rob Hodkinson, who led the visits, said: "We were disappointed with the general standards we encountered and will be looking to make return visits in the future.”

The HSE blitz focused its attention on the refurbishment sector after statistics suggested that 63% of the fatalities in the construction industry between 1999 and 2005 occurred in the refurbishment sector. Forty per cent of serious injuries - such as broken arms and legs - occurred due to slips and trips on untidy sites in 2003-04, another area currently being targeted by the HSE.