HSE focus on Birmingham ahead of Commonwealth Games

Last month, HSE inspectors visited building sites in Birmingham following an almost doubling of new construction schemes last year. The city is due to host the Commonwealth Games this summer.

“With a high volume of construction sites in the busy city centre, there is inevitably more potential for incidents which can result in life-changing injuries or worse and working environments which can pose respiratory risks and are hazardous to workers’ health and well-being,” said HSE inspector Sarah Hill. “The fatal injury rate in the construction sector is around four times the all-industry rate, while over 3,500 builders die each year from cancers related to their work.”

Employers breaking the law face a range of measures, including prosecution in the case of the most serious breaches, she added.