Enforcement notices were issued to more than 25 percent of construction sites after spot checks around Greater Manchester - 1st April 2010

A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) survey has revealed that a number of construction sites in Greater Manchester have failed safety inspections.

Inspectors from the HSE went to 163 constructions sites in the area during two days and found that more than a quarter of sites failed their inspection.

They issued 56 enforcement notices at 42 sites which either stopped work immediately or required improvements to be made. Some of the companies may even face prosecution.

Many of the cases involved the dangers of working at heights and other issues arose including dust, unsafe electrics and the general state of sites. New figures have revealed that there were 498 serious injuries and one death as a result of accidents on construction sites in Greater Manchester last year.

The inspections were part of a month-long initiative aimed at stopping dangerous practices on building sites throughout the country.

Polly Tomlinson, HSE's Principal Inspector for Construction in Greater Manchester, said: "The majority of the construction sites our inspectors visited had good health and safety procedures in place. But the other 42 sites are letting the rest of the industry down and putting workers' lives at risk. Hundreds of construction workers are seriously injured every year because companies don't treat the safety of their employees as a priority.”

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