Safety blitz at region's building sites

Dozens of Norfolk building sites will have their safety record put under the spotlight as inspectors descend for a series of unannounced spot checks early next month.

Dozens of Norfolk building sites will have their safety record put under the spotlight as inspectors descend for a series of unannounced spot checks early next month.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will be carrying out a week of targeted inspections on construction sites in Norwich, Yarmouth and Lowestoft from March 9.

In 2007/8, 52pc of the British workers who died on construction sites worked in refurbishment, repair and maintenance, in line with a similar statistic the previous year.

The HSE aims to inspect 1,500 refurbishment sites across the country throughout March, to tackle poor health and safety standards.

In support of its Shattered Lives and Hidden Killer campaigns, HSE's inspectors will be targeting principal contactors to see how they are managing working at height safely, good order on site and the risks associated with the removal of asbestos.

The organisation warned contractors to expect strong enforcement action. In the last two years, during similar inspection initiatives, construction inspectors carried out over 2,400 refurbishment site inspections, with enforcement action taken at one in three sites.

Nicola Surrey, HSE's principal inspector of construction for Norfolk and Suffolk, said: 'While workers in the refurbishment sector continue to be injured and killed, as we stated before our last inspection initiative, HSE will continue to target the contractors and principal contractors on those sites who flout health and safety law and come down hard on them where necessary.'