HSE inspections can cause even the most experienced Health and Safety managers to panic but as long as you understand the latest HSE updates and the top areas of focus for HSE, preparing for an inspection will be straightforward.

The main objective of any HSE inspection is to ensure that the necessary measures are being taken to protect the health and safety of employees and the general public. Some inspections take place due to a specific incident or report, but HSE inspections happen regularly on high-risk sites, so being well prepared is important.

Over the next few months, HSE are planning a ‘safety blitz’ so site managers and Health and Safety managers should be prepared for a visit.

What are HSE inspectors focusing on?

Due to the large volume of musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) related to construction work, HSE are currently having a blitz to reduce these types of injuries. Recent figures show that around 40,000 construction industry employees suffer from an MSD every year.

The main cause of these injuries is manually lifting and moving heavy objects and the upcoming HSE inspections will be reviewing the processes in place for moving heavy or bulky materials. They will be looking to ensure that the correct training has been provided on moving heavy materials and that equipment and other aids have been made available where possible.

Inspectors will be assessing any existing work processes to identify any moving and handling risks that could be prevented. With a growing number of long-term injuries caused by manual lifting, inspectors want to ensure that construction sites are adequately mitigating risks and prioritising the long-term health of workers.

In many cases, MSD affects people later in life and they are unable to have a full quality of life after retirement. The environment of a working construction site is not always a place where workers feel comfortable raising concerns, so the HSE blitz is deemed necessary to help identify potential risks that are not being flagged, to improve health and safety.

The blitz is targeting all employees from design phase through to contractors and their workers to help ensure that construction firms are taking the necessary actions to remove or manage risks.

With the large choice of health and safety equipment, and specialist lifting machinery available, there are no excuses for construction firms not to have adequate equipment onsite to prevent heavy lifting.

Additionally, there is a wealth of Health and Safety resources and online training materials that are available for construction firms to educate employees on risks and how to work safely.

Make sure your site is ready for your next HSE inspection by ordering all the safety equipment you need.

FixFirm has a range of handling equipment including plasterboard trolleys, pipe and bundle trolleys, sack trucks & trolleys and pallet trucks to help keep site workers protected from manual lifting injuries.

One new piece of equipment which is helping reduce risks on site is our new Armorgard e-kart Sack Truck. Access the full range of handling equipment here

Order your safety equipment today for next-day delivery or contact our team for further information and support.