Inspectors Blitz Building Sites (1 Viewer)

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A DODGY ladder and shaky scaffolding were two examples of what inspectors discovered this week during a blitz on construction sites around East London.

Department of Labour inspectors have been visiting building sites dotted across the city and b y yesterday, they had issued at least four prohibition notices – meaning that work had to be stopped in those areas immediately or the faulty equipment immediately removed – and a number of contravention notices.

These must be sorted out within 60days, at which point the inspectors will return and recheck what has been deemed amiss.

At Lewcon Construction’s building site along Bonza Bay Road yesterday morning, labour inspector Adwin Mali explained that the team were looking at all aspects of safety.

“F or example, we are looking at how the scaffolding is put together, and we also check that employees have been provided with protective clothing and are aware of the hazards attached to this type of work.”

Mali and fellow inspector Nozuko Kopo found a number of contraventions on site, the most pressing of which was a lack of railings, putting workers at risk of falling off the half- constructed building.

Lewcon owner Rod Phillips yesterday welcomed the inspectors’ findings, saying the visits were normal in the context of keeping construction legal.

“As long as you are compliant, you’re fine,” Phillips said.

“Safety is very important … There is no harm in the visits from the inspectors, as long as they are realistic in their expectations.”

Inspector Gary Robertson explained that the blitz was part of a national campaign to raise standards within the industry.

By yesterday, sites in Amalinda, Cambridge, Beacon Bay and Greenfields had been visited. A number of visits are scheduled for the rest of the week at other sites.

A major problem at many sites has been the safety around the construction of scaffolding, and prohibition notices were issued for this on Monday to ISG Construction, currently building Reservoir Mews in Amalinda. The Dispatch was told yesterday afternoon that the problem areas had already been sorted out.

“Scaffolding accounts for a lot of workplace accidents, the most common of which are falls which can be fatal,” Robertson said.

“At the end of the day, our focus is on the workers. This is their workplace and when they come to work it should be in a safe environment.

“We are aware that a construction site is, by nature, a hazardous place, but the regulations are there to assist employers put safety programmes in place.”

GVK Construction site manager Darrel Du Preez, who is working at a site in Cambridge that was issued a prohibition notice for the use of a dented aluminium ladder, welcomed the inspections.

“I believe it’s good to have them come around because when you’re working, sometimes there are things you might miss that could be relevant to health and safety. ”

Source: Dispatch Online
 
Department of inspectors, what department, Mali and Koupo where did they get there qualifications from, read it in a book somewhere, like to know more about this:evil:
 
department of inspectors ?? hopefully this is one of those ridiculous quango's that the coalition is about to disband...
 
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