The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) proudly supports the upcoming No Falls Week initiative, taking place from 13th May to 17th May. No Falls Week is a campaign dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of safe working at height practices across various industries.

Today, CITB unveiled its Business Plan for 2024-25. The new direction sets out to build on previous plans and shows how they will support and empower employers by investing £267m over the coming year.

The Plan presents a new era for the construction industry by addressing the immediate needs of employers whilst supporting a long-term strategic plan. The 2023 Industry Consultation highlighted three key areas for CITB support – getting more trained people into industry, the provision of high-quality training, and supporting the ongoing skills development of the existing workforce.

Construction’s ‘people pipeline’ is critical to future growth for the industry and CITB’s plan invests in the need to attract and retain talented individuals. The successful launch of the New Entrant Support Team (NEST) in 2023-24 will be further expanded to contribute to the 15% increase in the number of new entrants joining the industry. NEST helps employers to better navigate the recruitment process, access grants and suitable training, when and where they need it. In addition, CITB’s new Industry Impact Fund will be further expanded, making direct funding available to employers to design and test new solutions for talent recruitment and retention challenges.

CITB is exhibiting at the UK’s largest built environment event during next month’s UK Construction Week at the London Excel from 7 – 9 May. The CITB Customer Engagement team will be there to provide their knowledge and support to all customers who attend.

We will run a range of Skills and Training hub sessions to cover a variety of key topics such as collaboration, wellbeing, entrepreneurship, future-proofing skills, future trends, vocational training and getting started in construction. The sessions offer a chance to gain industry insight and expertise from a great range of speakers.

Our stand (B492) is in the new Careers and Recruitment Zone, allowing visitors the opportunity to have face-to-face discussions with recruiters from the construction sector. Interview rooms will also be available for onsite consultations.

A company and its director have been sentenced after workers were exposed to asbestos and its potential harmful effects.

Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited Eye Track Limited’s site in Stretford, Manchester, and found an uncontrolled spread of asbestos containing material.  HSE has recently updated its webpages on asbestos safety and in 2023 launched an awareness campaign, Asbestos and You, which provides tradespeople with information about how to deal with asbestos on a job, and the personal risks from asbestos that still exist across the country today.

Earlier this year, the workplace regulator launched its Asbestos: Your Duty campaign that aims to improve understanding of what the legal duty to manage asbestos involves.

HSE attended the premises on Talbot Road in April 2019 after concerns were raised over workers unsafely working at height during the demolition of a number of units and construction of eight new residential houses.

During the inspection, HSE found significant amounts asbestos-containing materials across the site, mostly large amounts of debris associated with the breakage of asbestos-containing roof sheets from the demolished units. One unit taken down was estimated to contain 100 square metres of asbestos insulation board, 70% of which was demolished by hand and machinery.

A subsequent HSE investigation found the asbestos removal work was carried out under the direct control and instruction of Eye Track Limited director Selcuk Pinarbasi, who was fully aware of the potential dangers of asbestos. Mr Pinarbasi had some months earlier instructed a suitably qualified asbestos surveyor to carry out an asbestos demolition survey which had identified in detail the presence of both licensed and unlicensed materials throughout the site. Mr Pinarbasi was therefore fully aware of the risks the site posed from the presence of asbestos materials on his site prior to any demolition work taking place.

Eye Track Limited, of Talbot Road, Stretford, Manchester, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The company was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £18,783.61 in costs at Manchester Crown Court on 25 April 2024.

At the same hearing. Selcuk Pinarbasi, of Bankhall Lane, Hale, Greater Manchester, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) and Section 33(1)(g), by virtue of Section 37(1), of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He received a custodial sentence of 20 weeks, suspended for 12 months. He was also fined £75,000 and ordered to pay costs of £18,783.61.ls around the premises.

A housing company based in Kent has been fined £528,000 after an employee repairing a fence post inadvertently struck an underground cable, suffering burns to his face.

The MHS Homes employee and a colleague had been tasked by the company to repair three fence posts in a back garden of a tenant on 10 January 2023. They had already repaired two of the posts and started on a third, when one of the workers struck an underground electrical cable as he tried to break through some concrete using a breaker.

The company failed to provide the employees with information on the location of, or the tools to safely excavate around, an electrical cable and gas pipe.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), found that MHS Homes often excavated the ground. However, they never provided any information to employees on the location of underground services and did not provide suitable equipment to detect and safely excavate underground services. They had previously identified the risk of underground services in a risk assessment in 2017.

On this occasion, the two employees were digging not only by an electrical cable, but also a gas service. This heightened the risk of a fire or explosion, with the potential to kill not employees and members of the public nearby, as well the risk of destroying property.

MHS Homes of Broadside, Leviathan Way, Chatham, Kent pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 16(2), by virtue of non-compliance with Regulation 25(4), of The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The company was fined £528,000 and must pay £4,122 in costs following a sentencing hearing on 24 April 2024.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Peter Bruce, said: “Underground services  are widespread and represent a significant risk. It is important measures are taken to identify them before any excavation work is undertaken.

A company director has been jailed for eight months after failing to protect workers from exposure to asbestos at a student development project in Winchester.

Stephen Davies, 59, had set up Cavendish Winchester Ltd with the sole purpose of refurbishing the Winnall Close commercial unit into student rental accommodation. His co-director Neil Bolton, 56, was spared an immediate spell behind bars when he was handed a four-month suspended sentence at Southampton Crown Court on 27 March 2024. The company itself was fined £30,000 – with all three defendants pleading guilty.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed the company removed an estimated ten tonnes of asbestos insulating board (AIB) during the refurbishment in late 2019 and early 2020. The dangerous materials were stripped out by workers unqualified to do the job and unaware of the risks to their health.

The investigation arose when HSE received a concern that large quantities of AIB had been illegally removed. The work was all carried out under the direction of Stephen Davies.

The court was told both directors were aware of the considerable extent and quantity of the materials containing asbestos within the building, as they had previously sought legitimate quotes for its competent removal.

However, they chose to save a considerable sum of money by avoiding properly planned, safe removal, by a Licenced Asbestos Removal Contractor. They knowingly exposed workers to significant risk to their health. In addition, the investigation was unable to determine where a very sizeable quantity of asbestos-contaminated debris ended up, such that others in the waste removal chain were likely to have been put at risk too.

All three defendants pleaded guilty to charges relating to a lack of adequate management of the removal of asbestos containing materials.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE principal inspector Steve Hull said: “We brought this case because, despite the directors of this company being put on notice of the risks involved, they put profit before the health of those they employed.

“The dangers to health associated with exposure to asbestos fibres are well known and a wealth of advice and guidance is freely available from HSE and other organisations.

“Structural refurbishment which either exposes or is liable to expose people to asbestos fibres should only be carried out by competent persons working to a strict plan of work to ensure safety. Higher risk asbestos removal, such as the removal of AIB, can only legally be carried out by Licenced

Asbestos Removal Contractors who have the knowledge and equipment to prevent the spread of fibres and properly protect the workers undertaking the removal work.

“This work involved the removal of an estimated ten tonnes of AIB.

“The defendants then tried to cover their tracks by legitimising the removal of a small amount of residual asbestos containing materials, after illegally stripping out the majority, by obtaining a new quote for legal removal of that very small remaining portion. This deliberate attempt to save money, when they knew full well that the workers would have to live with the possibility of developing serious asbestos-related disease in the future, makes the case particularly serious.”

All Industry Accreditation (IA) cards issued under IA from January 1st, 2020, will expire on December 31st, 2024, and cannot be replaced using IA. Instead, individuals will require a vocational or academic construction-related qualification, or membership of an approved professional body.

CSCS cards should be held through the achievement of a recognised qualification and everyone should hold the right card, for the right job, in line with the Construction Leadership Council guidance.

Many of those with IA cards will no longer require a card, while those who do need to undertake a qualification will not need to attend college as flexible options such as professional discussions and on-site assessments are available. CITB grants are available to support CITB-registered employers achieve recognised qualifications.

https://www.cscs.uk.com/about/industry-accreditation/

A construction company in Kent has been fined after a sub-contractor fell and died from his injuries.

Mark Tolley, 51, fell nearly two metres through an opening in a scaffold on 5 July 2017 while working on the construction of six houses on Smarden Road in Headcorn, Kent.

He sustained several broken ribs and serious internal injuries including a punctured lung. He later died on 13 July 2017.

Mr Tolley had been installing vertical hanging tiles on one of the new properties when he fell 1.8 metres through an unguarded opening in the scaffold and landed on the ground below.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Amberley Homes (Kent) Ltd, the principal contractor for the project, had not appointed a person with the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and training to manage the construction site. The company had not ensured that a safe working platform on the scaffold was maintained throughout the different phases of the project. Access to and from the first lift working platform was unsafe as multiple openings had been made which could subsist for several weeks. The openings were unguarded and therefore there was a significant risk of falling circa 1.8 metres from the working platform.

Amberley Homes (Kent) Ltd did not control the site effectively. Its monitoring was ineffective as it did not act on concerns raised by its safety consultant when he drew the problems with site management.

HSE guidance states principal contractors must plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety in the construction phase of a project. More on this can be found at: Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (hse.gov.uk)

Amberley Homes (Kent) Ltd, of London Road, Sevenoaks, Kent, entered a guilty plea to breaching Regulation 13(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 during a trial at Maidstone Nightingale Court in January 2024. The company was fined £25,000 and ordered to pay £83,842.34 in costs at Canterbury Crown Court on 15 March 2024.

HSE principal inspector Ross Carter said: “This tragic death could have been so easily avoided by implementing suitable site management to ensure that the scaffold was appropriately adapted by competent persons for the needs of the different sub-contractors.

“This case highlights that principal contractors should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those who fall below the required standards and do not plan, manage and monitor the construction phase effectively.”

An unregistered plumber has received a suspended prison sentence after he carried out illegal gas work at a house in Peterborough.

Anthony Rice, trading as Rice Plumbing and Oil Heating, attended the property on Edwalton Avenue on 31 January 2023 where he replaced a gas boiler and altered gas pipe work. However, Rice accidentally connected the gas supply with water, meaning the property’s gas pipes and gas meter were flooded.

Gas engineers from Cadent later attended the property and were required to pump water from the emergency control valve and replace the gas meter. The engineers classed the gas boiler Rice had installed as immediately dangerous, capped off the gas supply before notifying the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

A HSE investigation found that Anthony Rice has never been registered with the Gas Safe Register – a legal requirement. He also held no qualifications nor completed any training in gas work.

HSE has guidance for gas consumers and what they need to know in ordered to manage gas appliances and equipment safety as well as what you need to do in an emergency.

The construction industry has stepped-up its efforts to combat work-related stress and promote good mental health by joining Great Britain’s workplace regulator campaign.

The Working Minds campaign, set up by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), welcomes six new partners in the construction industry to help reach trades and offer free support.

March sees the Contract Flooring Association (CFA) and the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE), Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA), the National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC), the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) and the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC) commit to the campaign.

Working Minds helps employers prevent stress and support good mental health, providing free online learning to show how to make it part of routine working life and culture. The new bitesize tool typically takes no more than an hour to complete and covers what the law requires of employers and what’s needed to do to be compliant.

Users will walk through Working Minds’ five simple steps based on risk assessment. They are to Reach out and have conversations, Recognise the signs and causes of stress, Respond to any risks you’ve identified, Reflect on actions you’ve agreed and taken, and make it Routine. It needs to become the norm to talk about stress and how people are feeling and coping on site.

Liz Goodwill, head of work-related stress and mental health policy at HSE, said: “We know that running a business in construction can be stressful with long hours, juggling intense workloads.

“We are delighted the Working Minds campaign is welcoming even more partners and they will no doubt help us in our efforts to raise awareness of ways employers across Britain’s construction trades can help prevent and reduce work-related stress.

“The law requires all employers – whether you’re a demolition firm or scaffolding business – to carry out a stress risk assessment and act upon the findings. The online learning shares all the tools you need to get started in one place, and you can come back as many times as you like.”