Safety Checks Reveal Rampant Violations on Building Sites
In a worker-safety inspection carried out on September 24, officials conducted checks on 83 construction sites across Estonia, finding 181 violations.
Of those, 47 violations were dangerous enough for the Labor Inspectorate to halt work or prohibit the use of equipment. Only 14 construction sites were found to be violation-free, reported uudised.err.ee.
Most safety threats involved scaffolding that was unsteady or had dangerous gaps between handrails. There were other falling dangers as well, such as poor-quality ladders and a lack of helmets.
"Construction firms still haven't made it a habit to provide helmets to workers who are at risk of head injuries. On three occasions we discovered a lack of required measures for reducing the risk of falling during work on rooftops and at heights - safety harnesses, ropes, rail nets and other such protective equipment," said the Labor Inspectorate's chief work safety specialist Indrek Avi.
Avi added that it can be concluded that some of the poorer working conditions - such as a lack of required changing rooms and hygiene possibilities - are due to companies' scrimping.
In 2012, there were 351 work-related accidents in the construction industry, of which three were fatal and 94 involved serious injuries.