Answers to the above questions can be found in the report of 18 August 2022, the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP) in June 2022 carried out 1082 inspections on Polish construction sites (construction sites or places of construction works), but those with the status of small construction sites. Small construction sites are those on which 20 employees work at the same time (of course, there may be more employees in general). The controlled places usually had the status of a micro-enterprise, as an entity employing up to 9 people, although those with a general employment of 10 to 49 people were also controlled. The works that were mainly provided by employees were those related to the construction, reconstruction or renovation of cubature objects – buildings.

In the years 2022-2024, PIP implements the „Strategy of control and prevention in construction”. This 3-year plan aims to improve the situation on Polish construction sites, where accidents at work occur all the time, including fatal and collective ones. The audits were carried out on 1059 entrepreneurs. The Act of 13 April 2007 on the National Labour Inspectorate (Journal of Laws of 2022.1614, hereinafter referred to as the Act) indicates that the main task of the National Labour Inspectorate is to supervise and control compliance with labour law, in particular the provisions and principles of occupational health and safety. The aim of the strategy is to eliminate direct threats to the health and life of workers employed on construction sites, which lead to accidents at work.

Katarzyna Łażewska-Hrycko, Chief Labour Inspector, points out that the total number of victims of accidents is the highest in manufacturing, but in the entire sector of the economy these fatal accidents are the most numerous in construction works.

Obligations of the employer on the construction site:

• The employer is obliged to maintain construction works and work rooms located in them, as well as areas and equipment associated with them in a condition ensuring safe and hygienic working conditions.
• The employer is obliged to ensure that the machines and other technical devices used ensure safe and hygienic working conditions, in particular protect the employee against injuries.
• The employer is obliged to allocate the necessary workwear and personal protective equipment.

• The details are specified in the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of 23 June 2003 on information on safety and health protection and the safety and health protection plan (Journal of Laws 2003.120.1126), which indicates the scope and form of information on safety and health protection, the safety and health protection plan and the detailed scope of types of construction works that pose risks to the safety and health of people.

The report on small construction sites presented by PIP shows that 1082 inspections were carried out, including:

• 728 decisions were issued to suspend work.
• 663 decisions were issued to suspend the operation of machines.
• 479 decisions were issued to refer to other works.
• 61 decisions were issued to prohibit the work (178 people were affected).
• 3321 decisions were issued with the rigor of immediate enforceability (due to the protection of human health or life).
• 715 people were punished with fines for a total amount of PLN 894,450.
• 1 application for punishment was submitted to the court.

The results of the audit show that a significant part of the employees were employed on the basis of an employment contract, as part of an employment relationship – these were 3408 people, out of 4370 people inspected.

The biggest problem and the biggest violation was the inadequate protection of work at height. Balconies, ceilings, roofs were not secured, for example, with balustrades (and if they were, they were incorrectly installed), as well as employees did not have all the necessary personal protective equipment (helmets, protective covers for hearing, hands, face or eyes), which could lead to a fall from a height and cause loss of health or life. „There was also a lack of protection of elevator shafts, openings in external walls and in ceilings protecting against falling (69%). Found:

• lack or incomplete work platforms or non-system platforms made on the construction site or simply loosely laid boards on the scaffolding only at the level of performing works
• lack or improperly made communication verticals,
• lack or improper anchoring of scaffolding structures to permanent elements of building objects,
• incorrect foundation of the scaffolding structure on the ground (scaffolding placed directly on soft ground or on support made of boards or bricks or aerated concrete blocks not guaranteeing adequate strength and stability).”

Causes of irregularities:

• Fictitious OHS – OHS training is not actually carried out and the OHS service fills out documents without verifying the actual condition and active activities.
• Managers – due to the large amount of investment in construction, construction managers often supervise several construction sites at once. Then their supervision is illusory, which boils down to issuing orders, general verification as well as entries in construction logs. This is not enough – the manager should exercise continuous and detailed supervision.
• Employee turnover and lack thereof – as in the case of managers, employees work on various investments, they are „shifted” from place to place. There is a lot of work and there are no employees. Young, inexperienced people are often employed without proper qualifications and training. Micro-enterprises also employ family members who, due to the lack of supervision, do not comply with OSH.
• Lack of appropriate equipment and protection (e.g. against falling from a height from stairs, ramps or platforms, lack of protection of electrical wires)
• Lack of proper marking of dangerous places.

PIP stated that: the level of work safety on small construction sites is insufficient, significantly different from the acceptable level observed on most large construction sites.

Source: https://kadry.infor.pl/bhp/bezpieczenstwo-pracy/5563952,PIP-praca-na-budowie-BHP-pracownik.html

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