Construction contractors working on refurbishment sites in Sunderland and Durham have been told they should do more to ensure the safety of employees during random spot checks by the Health and Safety Executive.

A total of 14 contractors had an unannounced visit from the HSE last week and as a result two prohibition notices were issued, stopping work immediately on the sites.

Last year 77 workers died in the construction industry in the UK and over half of these were in the refurbishment sector, where the number of deaths rose by 61%. HSE aims to inspect refurbishment sites across the North East throughout February to tackle poor safety standards.

-- Advertisement --

Working at height and good site order were the focus of inspections last week. HM Inspector of Health and Safety, Michael Brown, said: "Our inspectors were pleased to see a number of examples of good practice at refurbishment sites and would encourage those who demonstrated high safety standards to continue to ensure the lives of workers are protected.

"However there were two occasions when we had to issue prohibition notices on site. These related to working at height at a site in Sunderland and electrical safety at a site in Easington.

"We will not tolerate poor standards and will take appropriate enforcement action proactively as well as when an accident occurs. Our advice to those who work in the refurbishment sector is to plan work, use competent workers and if working at height use the right equipment and use it safely."

(JM)