Health and Safety Update (April 2009)

HSE Initiative to Help Migrant Workers in the Construction Industry

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is recruiting outreach workers to work alongside its inspectors and compliance officers to increase interaction with migrant workers in the construction industry – the largest groups being Poles, Romanians and Indians.

In London especially there are large numbers of migrant workers and the HSE has identified them as a particularly vulnerable group within the construction sector.

Problems that migrant workers face can include:

• poor English;
• a lack of understanding of UK health and safety standards;
• awareness of employment rights;
• lack of experience or skills;
• exploitation by employers;
• unpaid wages;
• grievances with employment rights.

The outreach roles, based in London, are trying to improve awareness for this group of workers. Outreach workers jobs will include construction site visits, liaison with immigrant community organisations, local authorities, faith communities, further education colleges, trade unions and employers to promote events and develop links, networks and partnerships.

HSE inspectors are also visiting London construction sites this month to ensure that site operators are not putting their workers or the public at risk of death or injury. Inspectors are targeting principal contractors to look at how they are managing areas such as working at height, good order on site and the risks associated with exposure to asbestos.

Enforcement action is to be expected if standards of safety lapse. In February last year, in a similar initiative, more than a third of the construction sites visited by HSE received enforcement notices because they fell so far below acceptable standards. Of the 162 sites in the capital that were inspected, enforcement action was taken in 55 cases. Contact the 24/7/advice line or your Consultant if you are in this business and requireadvice.