f10.1108/fFacilities0263-2772Emerald Group Publishing Limited10.1108/f.2001.06919gab.006e-non-articleSecondary articleDevelopmentscat-PMBEProperty management & built environmentcat-BCNBuilding & constructioncat-REPReal estate & propertyConstruction companies getting into a "welfare state"01072001197/8© MCB UP Limited2001Construction industry, Health and safety, Legislation.peer-reviewednoacademic-contentyesrightslinkexcludedConstruction companies getting into a "welfare state"

Construction companies getting into a "welfarestate"

Keywords: Construction industry, Health and safety, Legislation

Failure to provide adequate on-site welfare facilities for workers is costingconstruction companies thousand of pounds each year as a result of prosecutionsthrough the Health & Safety Executive.

The UK's number one company in portable accommodation and secure storage,Peterborough-based Elliott Workspace has identified cases throughout the lasttwo years, where fines totalling nearly £60,000 have been imposed foroffences of this nature, mainly under the 1974 Health & Safety at Work Actand the Construction Regulations.

Many of these instances related to the lack of provision of adequate toiletfacilities and of hot running water for hand washing, resulting in individualfines ranging from £250 up to £4,000 in the case of aGloucestershire based company, which was prosecuted for no hot/warm water forwashing.

Rod Hepper, Elliott Workspace Marketing Manager, commented: "It seemsthat there are companies across the UK which are still ignorant or complacentabout the need to provide the appropriate welfare facilities on constructionsites – with many continuing to offend even after official warnings fromthe HSE.

"It is a legal requirement that proper toilet facilities be providedon-site, and that warm running water is available at all times. This isespecially important when employees are working with cement, which is known tocause dermatitis if it is not cleaned off the skin quickly after use.

"The current crackdown by the HSE is catching dozens of companies out andthe only way to avoid this is for them to ensure that facilities are provided inline with the regulations in force.

"A number of prosecutions have resulted from unannounced inspections ofsites, such as that of a construction company in Devon, which was fined £2,500for having no hot water or accessible toilet facilities."

Rod Hepper concluded: "Installing proper facilities on-site costs farless than the fines that the HSE will impose if inspectors find the law beingflouted."

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