On irregularities in construction during a meeting with journalists

Construction, besides mining and industrial processing, is the sector of economy which creates the highest risk of loss of health and life at work nowadays. Last year the number of victims in work accidents on construction sites increased by over 1000 individuals as compared to the preceding year. 90 persons lost their lives, and 214 suffered serious injuries. All those facts were communicated to journalists during the meeting at the Chief Labour Inspectorate on 3 April 2008.

Bożena Borys-Szopa, Chief Labour Inspector, emphasised that one is alarmed at the results of National Labour Inspectorate’s inspections carried out last year in enterprises conducting construction activity. They indicate significant hazards to the safety of persons employed there. Breaches of safety rules for work at heights were identified on over 80% of the inspected construction sites. This is where accidents – both fatal and serious – happened most often.

Investigations of the circumstances of accidents proved that their most frequent causes were: haste which results from tight deadlines for construction work, improper professional preparation, improper organization and coordination of work, lack of indispensable safeguards for work at heights and of essential personal protective equipment.

Bożena Borys-Szopa highlighted that last year’s activity of the labour inspection aimed at elimination of hazards to health and life of workers employed in construction had measurable effects. As a result of conducted inspections, labour inspectors eliminated hazards to health and life of over 51 thousand persons. Had it not been for immediate and decisive intervention of labour inspectors upon identifying each case of incompliance with work safety regulations and rules, the number of accidents would be higher.

Deputy Chief Labour Inspector Roman Giedrojć extensively presented the results of NLI’s inspections on construction sites, especially of bridges, roads and motorways in the context of Poland’s preparations for the football championship EURO 2012. From among over 5 thousand inspections on construction sites conducted by NLI last year, 817 focused on the construction of bridges, railway flyovers and motorways, modernization and repair of local and national roads as well as communication junctions. Irregularities identified by labour inspectors were similar to those noted on other construction sites. They consisted mainly in: the lack of, or application of improper safeguards to protect workers from falls from heights; use of scaffolding which did not meet technical requirements, lack of supports of walls in excavations, lack of safe entry and access routes to excavations, failure to secure and mark danger zones and places.

Roman Giedrojć, with the use of a multimedia presentation, acquainted the journalists with examples of specific irregularities on construction sites noted down by labour inspectors during visits.

Next, Jarosław Leśniewski, Director of Legality of Employment Department, presented the results of inspections focused on legality of employment in construction. From 1 July to 31 December 2007 labour inspectors carried out 2 thousand inspections related to the said issue in construction companies. It made up 17% of all inspections of legality of employment. Irregularities were disclosed during every second visit. In one fourth of the inspected companies illegal employment was identified. Cases of incompliance related to the employment of foreigners were disclosed in 22% of the inspected entities, including in one third of companies which employed foreigners who have the duty to obtain a work permit.

Illegal work is the one performed without written employment contracts or without registering employees with the social insurance institution. Disclosed cases of it related most often to employers engaging up to 10 persons for short time periods, at installation work, finishing work or in connection with contracts for repair work.

Following identification of almost 800 offences, which were committed by 642 individuals, labour inspectors imposed 65 fines to the overall amount of 79.5 thousand zlotys and lodged 349 motions with magistrate courts asking that offenders be penalised.