Solicitors in Northern Ireland with commercial property clients dealing with refurbishment work are advised to ensure their clients are complying with health and safety rules and regulations.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is carrying out inspection visits this month in a bid to tackle poor health and safety standards with visits to 1,500 refurbishment sites across the UK planned.

Construction sites are to be visited to see if workers are operating in a neat and orderly environment, if they are properly being protected against asbestos and if they are working at height safely.

According to HSE's chief inspector of construction Stephen Williams it is unacceptable for workers in the refurbishment sector, which accounted for 52 per cent of sector workers killed in construction sites last year, to continue being injured or killed.

He said: "HSE will continue to target the contractors and principal contractors on those sites who flout health and safety law and come down hard on them where necessary."

The construction industry in the region has suffered greatly as a result of the economic downturn.
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