Building sites are not playgrounds
Hull City Council and Humberside Fire and Rescue Service are asking children in Hull to play safely over the long summer holiday and not be tempted by areas awaiting demolition and the many building sites which are at the forefront of the city’s regeneration.
Contractors take all reasonable steps to ensure that only authorised people are allowed onto a site when construction work is being carried out, and health and safety is embedded in the industry’s culture. Nevertheless every year in the UK children are injured, and even die, as a result of accidents on building sites. Thankfully there have been no casualties in Hull, and we want to keep it that way. Cllr John Black, Portfolio Holder for Housing said, “Children tend to be drawn to building sites as exciting places to play and are unaware of the potentially life threatening dangers they pose, therefore we want to send a strong message out that “building sites bite” and are no go areas for children. "Across the city, the council and our partners offer a wide range of play, sporting and other recreational activities for children during the school holidays, and these can be checked out on the Council’s website www.hullcc.gov.uk/events and via the Council’s area teams’ Facebook pages.” Building sites are prevalent across Hull because the Council is half way through the city’s biggest housing regeneration programme for more than 50 years, which will offer people a wider choice of quality affordable homes to rent or buy.
"The increase in fires in such properties is also a concern for Humberside Fire and Rescue Service. Group Manager of Public Safety Matt Sutcliffe explained:
“Derelict buildings and those under construction are inherently dangerous places for those who may become trapped inside during a fire or collapse and even for firefighters in the event of a rescue. Fire damage and water damage from previous incidents may well have made floors, roofs and stairways structurally unsafe which makes these buildings nothing short of death traps.
“Sending engines to deliberate fires anywhere in Hull is ultimately taking resources away from where they may be needed elsewhere in the city. I would urge those responsible to stay out of these derelict buildings this summer for their own safety. It is only a matter of time before we are going to be faced with a serious injury or worse.”