A disaster waiting to happen - #HazardSpotting

This UK commercial building project is enough to give any regulatory inspector heart failure. It's a disaster waiting to happen. Here's what we see on this ridiculously unsafe jobsite: 1. The legs of the scaffold just to the left of center in the photo above, are perched just inches from a jagged drop-off of several feet. Over time, workers moving around on the scaffold platform could make it creep closer to the edge. In addition, a soil failure under the legs would cause it to tip, throwing workers off it it and causing injury or death. 2. Construction supplies are stored too close to the trench. The weight of these materials could cause it to collapse. Look at the boards leaning up against the pile of particle board. Their weight could push these sheets into the trench quite easily. 3. The flimsy orange fence doesn't look like it's adequately anchored to the ground, especially toward the back of the picture. It would do little or nothing to stop the stack of particle board or other construction supplies from sliding into the trench. 4. Why is this trench here to begin with? It doesn't look straight enough for any kind of pipe. Assuming that perhaps it was dug to accommodate a buried electrical line, then why not backfill it In it's present location, it's a major trip and fall hazard. 5. A closer look at what is supposed to be the scaffold's platform reveals a number of orangish-brown pipes with several long boards thrown on top of them - hardly a stable surface for workers to walk upon! 6. Where is there a clear walking path in this photo? There doesn't seem to be one. Perhaps that's because this is such a closeup image. But the source of this image, UK's HSE agency, says this site was cited for "poor order across the whole site." Looking to avoid? See: any of our Digging Dangers Series #HazardSpotting is a community safety initiative that helps raise awareness about dangerous workplace safety violations, developed by MySafetySign.com and supported by VISTA Training, Inc.