09/06/2004

HSENI warns of imminent construction safety blitz

The Health and Safety Executive of Northern Ireland (NSENI) is to carry out an intensive inspection blitz of construction sites across Northern Ireland next week.

The safety inspections are part of a Europe-wide inspection campaign to reduce the number of fatal and serious injuries in the construction industry.

Leading the campaign, Ken Logan of the HSENI said: “Many construction companies here are working to the proper standards when carrying out work at heights. These companies have nothing to fear from this initiative, but those companies who are working with a reckless disregard for safety will be stopped and may be prosecuted. Inspectors will be issuing Prohibition Notices – so be warned.”

In Northern Ireland the fatal accident incident rate for the construction industry is worse than the corresponding rates for Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

A worker here is three times more likely to be killed on a construction site than his counterpart on a site in the rest of the UK. More than half of these accidents are due to falls when working at heights. Last year four of the six fatal accidents occurring on local construction sites were as a result of a fall.

(MB)

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