The Health and Safety Authority (HSA), today, Monday 29^th September, will begin a two-week safety inspection campaign on pre-stress and precast concrete production.  The focus of the campaign is ensuring safe systems are in place during the production of pre-stress and precast units in the concrete manufacturing industry.

While pre-stressed and precast concrete manufacturing systems bring numerous benefits, they also present unique safety hazards. These include handling heavy elements, working with high-tension steel tendons, lifting risks, chemical hazards and potential hazards from stored energy in pre-stressed elements. 

On that basis the HSA inspectors will be seeking evidence of the following:

• Site specific risk assessments have been carried out of the pre-stressing/precast activities
• Safe systems of work are in place for pre-stress/precast activities
• Operatives involved in the pre-stressing/precast process have received sufficient training and training records are available
• Procedures are in place for the safe transportation of pre-stress/precast product 
• Relevant maintenance schedules and records are in place
• Lifting equipment and lifting accessories have been identified and appropriate certs and a lifting register are up to date.

Launching the campaign, Hilary Byrne, Senior Inspector, HSA stated that: “Working with pre-stressed and precast elements introduces distinct risks due to the manufacturing process and type of product. This can lead to serious and fatal incidents if the correct controls are not in place. This is the third time since 2016 that a campaign of this nature has been carried out in the precast concrete industry.  A repeat safety campaign is important to ensure that safety management systems are in place and to assess compliance in the industry since the last campaign in 2021. During the inspections, HSA Inspectors will be providing information, advice and making employers aware of resources available to help them reduce the risk of incidents when manufacturing pre-stressed and precast units.”

Supporting the HSA’s campaign, Irish Concrete Federation’s Chief Executive, Gerry Farrell, said: “The ICF welcomes the HSA’s upcoming campaign. The adoption of pre-stress and precast concrete technologies has revolutionised construction, but only with a proactive safety management system can the associated risks be effectively managed. Our members are urged to remain focused on the fundamental safety risks associated with the manufacturing of precast concrete products and ensure appropriate controls are in place.”

HSA