19 July 2004 - Reminder of Construction Site Dangers to Children
Now that
the school holidays are upon us, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has
issued a reminder as to the dangers of children playing in and around
construction sites.
Children will be naturally inquisitive and building sites attract their
attention as being exciting and thrilling places to play.
Six children have died since 1998/1999 and 466 have been injured on building
sites.
The HSE is urging the construction industry to pay much greater attention to
sealing off the area and storing materials and plant safely.
Philip White, Head of HSE's Construction Sector commented:
"The recent serious incident involving a 3-year old boy should serve as a sobering reminder to everyone in the construction industry that construction sites are dangerous places for children. With school holidays about to commence across Great Britain, extra care needs to be taken to ensure that sites are secure and that materials and plant are stored safely."
Some logical steps to ensure safety on site:
-
take effective steps to keep children off sites
-
make sure vehicles are locked and secured, especially at the end of the working day
-
ladders stored Safely and access to scaffolding prevented
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materials, Chemicals etc. stored and locked safely away on site
-
ensure heavy objects are laid down or secure them upright.
The HSE has published guidance on what the building industry needs to do to protect the public, including children, in HSG151: Protecting the Public — Your Next Move (ISBN 0 7176 1148 5, price: £7.95). The publication can be obtained from HSE Books.
Article by Alexandra Johnston
