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HSE visits fewer construction sites

Revealed

The statistics were published by construction union UCATT. These showed the number of proactive construction inspections carried out by the HSE in 2014/15. UCATT was then able to compare these with figures it had previously obtained for 2012/13. When the two were held side by side a dramatic decline in construction site visits could be seen across many parts of the UK.

Note. The HSE carries out reactive and proactive inspections. “Reactive” means in relation to an accident or complaint whereas “proactive” means planned, i.e. visits to meet particular targets.

For example

The overall reduction when comparing across the two years was 8.7%. This trend is understandable given the budget cuts the regulator was enduring at the time. However, looking deeper into the figures it’s apparent that some parts of the country were receiving far less attention than others. In Scotland the decline in visits was a surprising 55%, whilst in the north east and north west of England it was 28% and 32% respectively. Inspections in the south east of England reduced by 19%.

Was it deliberate?

The HSE has not responded to UCATT’s exposé; however, it’s possible that some of this downturn is intended. In the HSE’s overall business plan it estimates that it will undertake 20,000 proactive inspections across all types of business in 2015/16. This is far fewer than the 23,470 proactive visits it says were completed in 2013/4. In the background there are other changes, including budget cuts and the redirection of resources towards work-related ill health. The HSE also went through a period of shedding staff to cut costs followed by a recruitment phase, once its budget was boosted by income from the fee for intervention scheme. The need to induct and train new staff, and to train existing staff in health issues will inevitably have diverted internal resources away from the front line.

What’s the impact?

If you’re directly involved in construction work or are a client having work done, it’s not a time to drop your guard. Although the threat of proactive inspections may be a little lower, in practice there are many good reasons for keeping on top of health and safety. These are both positive, e.g. staff morale and preventing accidents, and negative, e.g. avoiding down-time and claims. The majority of construction site inspections are triggered by an accident so if you have one, especially if the outcome is serious, you may well receive a visit. At this point you’ll want to have all of your evidence to hand to show that your site is well run.

Tip. Writing up safety documents is an essential part of the planning process and not something to do in a rush after the event. Start with a construction phase plan. This is a simple task, especially for small projects (see The next step ).

For a link to the CITB CDM Wizard app, visit http://tipsandadvice-healthandsafety.co.uk/download (HS 14.16.03).