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The Health and Safety Executive inspectors will again be out in force during the month of September surprising construction sites and ensuring that they are compliant with all health and safety regulations. The main targets that they will be focusing on are those sites that are dealing with refurbishment projects. The format of the campaign

According to an independent report, the Fee For Intervention (FFI) scheme, which was designed to shift the cost of regulating workplace health and safety from the public purse to businesses who break the law has proven effective and should stay. The report recognised that inspectors at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have implemented FFI

The Building Safety Group (BSG) is planning a series of free CDM 2015 seminars during the autumn for members in selected regions. The seminars will aim to address: What impact the new regulations will have on companies working in the construction industry? What actions should be taken to ensure that businesses remain compliant with the

Following the introduction of TG20:13 by the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation earlier this year, the Health & Safety Executive have now produced a scaffold checklist that is intended to outline design requirements, and levels of competence for the erection, dismantling, altering, inspecting and supervising of scaffold operations. The checklist replaces a similar one, relating

Costain is launching new guidance on preventing and controlling exposure to silica dust on its construction sites. The move follows an HSE blitz on small sites that found high levels of non-compliance with current guidance. Inhaling silica dust while drilling or cutting products such as concrete or mortar can lead to lung diseases including silicosis,

The HSE has opened a six week consultation on changes to the Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) relating to the Safe Work in Confined Spaces – Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 (L101). The regulator says the revisions are designed to clarify, not change, the requirements for dutyholders. In 2012, the HSE consulted on the need to revise

The HSE is planning a partial reversal of its plan to abandon the Approved Code of Practice when it implements the CDM Regulations 2015, and now intends to publish a slimline version to accompany new regs. The HSE had planned to remove the ACOP, which gives practical advice on implementing CDM 2007, In favour of

Trade body The Ladder Association has launched the 2014 Ladder Exchange which runs 1 September to 31 December.   Run by the Ladder Association since 2012, the Ladder Exchange promotes the use of safe ladders and helps take potentially dangerous ones out of service by allowing both individuals and businesses to trade in their old ladders, regardless of

A national targeted inspection focussing on health risks for construction workers saw enforcement action taken at one in six of hundreds of sites visited. During the two week period of proactive inspections, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) demanded improvements, and in some cases put an immediate stop to work activities, where they fell short