CHAS Consultant can assist with CHAS Accreditation

CHAS is a registration scheme that has been developed for pretty much any construction-related firm (large or small) to register for.  It was designed to set a standard and so actually gaining accreditation can be a bit tricky.  If you have never had to stop and document ‘how’ each element of the work is managed for good health and safety, the whole process of becoming CHAS approved can be a nightmare.

There is a solution though and that is to take some advice from a CHAS Consultant who can not only guide you through the application, but also assist you with the additional documentation that you will need.

Construction Site inspections across Britain have in a some cases lead to enforcement notices being issued to construction companies or in some cases, prosecutions for very serious breaches of the legislation.

It was pleasing to hear that the HSE had praised some Scunthorpe construction sites for adhering to strict regulations to protect their workers.  The Health And Safety Executive (HSE) inspected 52 refurbishment sites in South Yorkshire and the Humber region, which includes Scunthorpe, and involved about 75 contractors.

In total, ten sites were deemed to be so far below required standards that inspectors had to issue formal enforcement notices.  However, unlike neighbouring towns and cities such as Hull and Grimsby, no action needed to be taken in Scunthorpe.

HSE inspector Hazel Dobb, who co-ordinated the Construction Initiative in South Yorkshire and Humber, said standards on some sites, including two in Scunthorpe, had improved.

“Inspectors did report that on many sites, standards were generally higher and with better use of the right access solutions and tools for the job, however, despite these examples of good practice, which the industry can learn from, the fact that we found unsafe conditions on one in five sites is totally unacceptable.  Companies have a responsibility to protect their workers, to help rid construction of its reputation as being one of the UK’s most dangerous industries.”

Figures released by the HSE for 2009/10 showed a total of 833 construction injuries and six deaths in the region as a whole.  Of these, 58 were recorded in North and North East Lincolnshire.

Ms Dobb said: “This is the fifth year of the inspection initiative and it is disappointing to find many construction sites taking the same unnecessary risks with their workers’ lives.  What is of most concern is that the over-riding failure concerned work at height – eight of the ten prohibition notices related this type of serious safety breach.”

Of the 52 visits in parts of South Yorkshire and Humber, inspectors issued nine prohibition notices, eight of which related to unsafe work being carried out at height.

Two improvement notices were also served for premises where there were unacceptable practices for fire precautions and asbestos management.  Six enforcement notices were served in Hull, two in Sheffield and one each in Grimsby, Rotherham and Bridlington. No action needed to be taken from visits in Scunthorpe, Barnsley and Doncaster.

Now it is important to note that attaining CHAS will never ‘sheild’ you from action taken by the HSE, it will improve your understanding of what is required and how you can ensure high standards with some very minor alterations to practice.