Recent site visits have highlighted the fact that housekeeping standards are slipping down the priority order for a number of Site Managers.
We are all aware that the pressures involved in Site Management can be challenging and stressful but housekeeping, storage and general tidiness can often be overlooked as a minor annoyance which can then lead to very serious accidents further down the line.
Statistics show that poor housekeeping standards and related site layout issues contributed to 49% of accidents (http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr156.pdf).
This clearly identifies the importance of maintaining good housekeeping standards to reduce injury to our workforce therefore reducing lost time, controlling budgets and effectively reducing those stresses we mentioned at the start!
Rick March Tech IOSH
Safety Consultant‘