ROOFERS FACE CRACKDOWN BY HSE
Building firms in Greater Manchester are being urged to improve safety standards after nearly 180 formal warnings about work at height were issued last year.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors served 148 enforcement notices in the county in 2009, immediately stopping unsafe work being carried out at height. They issued another 29 requiring safety improvements to be made.
More than 100 roofers across Greater Manchester are now being encouraged to attend a free safety awareness event tomorrow, or risk an unannounced visit from an inspector.
The free safety event at Clifton Territorial Army Centre in Salford has been organised as part of a joint initiative with Trading Standards. It starts at 5.30pm and more details are available by calling 0161 952 8335.
HSE is concerned that some companies may be trying to save money by allowing employees to work on roofs without scaffolding or other safety equipment, putting lives at risk.
Neil Jamieson, a principal inspector for HSE in the North West, said: “Falls from height kill dozens of workers every year and seriously injure hundreds more. But the number of deaths will carry on rising if firms don't accept they're putting their workers in danger.
“We will continue to take action against companies that do not take the safety of their workers seriously, and will prosecute those that fail to provide the necessary scaffolding.”
Falls from height are the biggest single cause of workplace deaths in the UK, with two deaths in Greater Manchester during 2008/9. Another 521 workers in the county suffered serious injuries from a fall.
ROOFERS FACE CRACKDOWN BY HSE
Building firms in Greater Manchester are being urged to improve safety standards after nearly 180 formal warnings about work at height were issued last year.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors served 148 enforcement notices in the county in 2009, immediately stopping unsafe work being carried out at height. They issued another 29 requiring safety improvements to be made.
More than 100 roofers across Greater Manchester are now being encouraged to attend a free safety awareness event tomorrow, or risk an unannounced visit from an inspector.
The free safety event at Clifton Territorial Army Centre in Salford has been organised as part of a joint initiative with Trading Standards. It starts at 5.30pm and more details are available by calling 0161 952 8335.
HSE is concerned that some companies may be trying to save money by allowing employees to work on roofs without scaffolding or other safety equipment, putting lives at risk.
Neil Jamieson, a principal inspector for HSE in the North West, said: “Falls from height kill dozens of workers every year and seriously injure hundreds more. But the number of deaths will carry on rising if firms don't accept they're putting their workers in danger.
“We will continue to take action against companies that do not take the safety of their workers seriously, and will prosecute those that fail to provide the necessary scaffolding.”
Falls from height are the biggest single cause of workplace deaths in the UK, with two deaths in Greater Manchester during 2008/9. Another 521 workers in the county suffered serious injuries from a fall.
