As of October 2022, British construction sites are to be targeted as part of the government’s newest health inspection initiative.
These inspections will assess whether employers and workers alike know the risks, plan accordingly, and use the correct control mechanisms for the moving and handling of construction materials.
The Work Right Construction campaign comes following new research which shows that over 40,000 construction workers currently suffer from musculoskeletal disorders (MSD’s), which involve persistent injuries, aches, pains and discomfort in joints, muscles, and bones.
Employers in particularly have been reminded of their obligations under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 which set out the measures for dealing with risk, including:
- To avoid hazardous manual handling operations so far as reasonably practicable
- To assess any unavoidable manual handling operations
- To reduce the risk of injury to as al low as reasonably practicable.
Failure to safeguard workers against risk and ill-health could result in verbal or written advice from the HSE, an improvement or prohibition notice, or even prosecution.
HSE’s head of construction, Sarah Jardine has stated that the purpose of these inspections is to ‘check the action businesses are taking to ensure their workers are being protected’.
“We want everyone in the industry, from designers to contractors and their workers, to be aware of the risks associated with any moving or lifting task and put appropriate measures in place.
“This is a significant health issue for tens of thousands of construction workers and can lead to a lifetime of terrible aches and pains. The health of workers must be considered when planning construction work so that they can carry out their jobs without fear of injuring themselves, including being provided with the correct equipment to lift safely.
The HSE have begun visiting sites in England, Scotland and Wales from 3 October 2022 onwards and will continue until November. They have also published helpful resources on Manual Handling, which can be found here.
If you have any queries in relation to the Work Right campaign, risk management in construction or indeed any health & safety matter please contact a member of our Regulatory Team
