A damaged hoarding leaves a public opening: what to do

A breach in the site boundary is an immediate risk to the public, above all to children. Make the opening safe now, control access and protect the nearest hazards, then repair to the designed standard and find out why it failed so it does not happen again.

What has happened

A hoarding or fence panel is knocked, blown, worn or forced, leaving a gap through which a member of the public could enter the site. Construction sites hold hazards, from excavations and falls to plant and materials, that can seriously injure or kill someone who wanders in, and children are particularly at risk. HSE's guidance on protecting the public and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 require the site to be organised so that, so far as is reasonably practicable, unauthorised people cannot get in.

Immediate actions

Make the opening safe straight away: physically close or securely barrier the gap, and where it cannot be immediately secured, post supervision or another control until it is. Identify and protect the hazards nearest the breach, an open excavation, a fall edge, parked plant, stacked or attractive materials, since these are what a person entering would reach first. Check whether anyone has entered. Then arrange a proper repair to restore the boundary to its designed standard rather than leaving a temporary patch.

What not to do

Do not leave a gap open "until the fencing contractor comes", and do not rely on a warning sign instead of a physical barrier. Do not assume no one will enter, especially out of hours or near homes and schools. Do not fix only the damaged panel while leaving nearby hazards exposed, and do not ignore how the damage happened.

Who is responsible

The principal contractor is responsible for organising the site to keep unauthorised people out and for protecting the public; site management makes the boundary safe and arranges repair; the fencing/hoarding contractor restores the designed standard. All duty holders under CDM 2015 have a role in planning public protection into the site.

Evidence and records

Record the breach (location, cause if known, time found), the immediate make-safe action, whether anyone entered, the hazards protected, the repair to the designed standard, and the boundary and security review. Update the construction phase plan's public-protection arrangements if the incident reveals a weakness.

Escalation

Escalate an injury or a member of the public (especially a child) reaching site hazards as an emergency, and consider whether it is reportable under RIDDOR. Escalate repeated breaches or security failures to senior management and review out-of-hours security. Where the boundary change interacts with public footways or routes, coordinate with deliveries blocking the public footway and changing traffic routes.

Prevention

Design and maintain a robust boundary for the site's setting, inspect it routinely (including after wind, deliveries and out of hours), secure attractive hazards away from the perimeter, and plan for prompt repair of damage. Treat public protection as an ongoing duty, not a one-off at set-up, and act quickly on any early sign of weakness.

Where Complys can help

Complys can hold the construction phase plan, boundary and public-protection arrangements, inspection records and the incident/action log, keeping the make-safe-to-repair trail together. It does not secure the site or repair the boundary; the site team and contractors do. Ask the Complys team to show how site inspections and public-protection records are tracked.