The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said a number of construction companies are failing to adequately protect their workers on sites.

Following a one-month inspection of numerous site inspections by officials, almost 40% of sites failed to protect workers.

The HSE added that many of the safety issues could have been easily prevented with basic management and planning. At a number of the sites, the authority added that some of the sites were so dangerous, that formal enforcement action was needed.

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Graeme McMinn, HSE's principal inspector of construction, is quoted as saying: "These results show that whilst the majority of employers in the refurbishment sector are getting it right, a significant part of the industry is seriously failing its workers.

"The inability to properly plan working at height continues to be a major issue, despite well-known safety measures being straightforward to implement. It is just not acceptable that inspectors had to order work to stop immediately on 27 occasions because of dangerous practices."

"We also found health is often overlooked as its implications are not immediately visible, however the effects of uncontrolled exposure to deadly dusts such as asbestos and silica can be irreversible," he continued. "We urge the industry to ensure the most basic of measures, such as use of protective equipment and dust suppression methods, are put in place to help protect the future health of workers."

(JP/IT)