![PP Construction Safety logo and link to home page [1]](http://www.ppconstructionsafety.com/wp-content/themes/ppcs960/images/ppcslogo.jpg)
HSE warns of the dangers of sleeping on construction sites
A principal contractor has been fined after allowing areas of a construction site to be used as sleeping accomodation. Asaad Al-Helu of Hull, pleaded guilty to two offences under HSW Act 1974 at Hull Magistrates Court where he was ordered to pay over £2k in fines and costs. Five migrant Polish workers were allowed to use the site as sleeping accommodation.
The premises contained a large amount of flammable material such as wood and rubbish, and many sources of ignition. These included the unsafe electrical system, workers smoking and drinking on site and heaters in the sleeping accommodation. There was no means of escape or of raising the alarm in the event of a fire. This endangered not only the men sleeping on site but also, potentially, the residents of the nearby terrace of houses.
Health and Safety Inspector John Rowe said: “These five construction workers were allowed to sleep on the site at night, which exposed them to fatal injuries in the foreseeable event of a fire. One carelessly discarded cigarette could have had serious and possibly fatal consequences, not only for them but also for local residents.”