School holidays are here. More children are outside. More of them are bored. And a construction site is one of the most interesting things a curious 11-year-old will walk past on a Tuesday afternoon.
HSE has been reminding construction companies of this for years. The message hasn't changed because the problem hasn't changed.
After the last worker leaves, it's worth asking one question before you go: what could someone curious actually reach from outside the boundary?
It takes about five minutes to walk the site with that in mind.
What you're looking for
Fencing. Is it continuous? No gaps, no materials stacked against it that act as a step up, no gates left propped open?
Ladders. Removed from scaffolds and excavations, not left where they can be climbed. A ladder left in place overnight is an invitation.
Vehicles and plant. Isolated, immobilised, and if possible locked in a compound. A cab left accessible is not just a theft risk.
Excavations and openings. Covered or barriered. A child cannot judge depth the way an adult can.
Hazardous materials. Locked away. Out of sight.
Why this matters more during school holidays
None of this is complicated. Most of it takes two minutes each. But it's the kind of thing that gets skipped at the end of a long day when everyone just wants to get home.
During term time, children are in school for most of the day. During the summer holidays, they are outside, unsupervised, for weeks. The risk profile of your site does not change. But the number of curious people within reach of it does.
The legal position
HSE's position on this is unambiguous. You are responsible for what happens on your site, including to people who should not be there. A child who gets onto a construction site and is injured is not the child's problem in law. It is yours.
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 place a clear duty on principal contractors to take reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised access. That duty does not reduce after hours. If anything, it increases.
The five minutes at the end of the day is the cheap version of solving this problem.
If you want a reminder like this in your inbox rather than left to the algorithm, the mailing list is more dependable: subscribe here.
On a side note: you can now try RiskCompli FREE. No card needed: riskcompli.safecompli.co.uk
Further reading: