HSE Turns Attention to Birmingham Construction Industry

In response to construction industry projects doubling within the Birmingham area in 2021, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced that it would send inspectors out to sites to ensure that they are complying with health and safety regulations.

Birmingham will soon play host to the 2022 Commonwealth Games, and as a result development throughout the city has increased significantly. Of course, with rising construction activity comes a rise in potential risks for both workers and the public surrounding these sites.

One of the HSE Inspectors leading the campaign, Sarah Hill has said of the forthcoming inspections:

“With a high volume of construction sites in the busy city centre, there is inevitably more potential for incidents which can result in life-changing injuries or worse, and working environments which can pose respiratory risks and are hazardous to workers’ health and well-being… HSE colleagues and I will be visiting sites across the city to check that employers are managing risk and keeping workers and the public safe.

The fatal injury rate in the construction sector is around four times the all-industry rate, while over 3,500 builders die each year from cancers related to their work, so this is a reminder to employers that there is no room for complacency or non-compliance.”

Inspections will determine whether a company is ensuring the health and safety of their workers as well as anyone affected by the work they carry out.

In the 2020/21 period, there were 39 fatal injuries within the construction industry, and four fatalities amongst members of the public, therefore inspections such as those carried out by HSE are crucial in ensuring the risk to workers and the public is addressed through each stage of a project.

If you‘re a construction of scaffolding business operating in or around the Birmingham area, why not engage SIMIAN for a pro-active health and safety check up? Get in touch via hello@simian-risk.com or by calling 0345 6022418.