More than 200 construction sites nationwide have been closed down as the result of an HSE inspection blitz in March.

Following the crackdown, 244 site owners voluntarily closed their sites.

The HSE also issued a further 214 enforcement notices, under which sites are given a deadline for improvement. Some of these sites also closed pending improvements.

The campaign coincided with the release of HSE figures showing that there had been no improvement in the rate of construction deaths in the past three years.

Kevin Myers, the HSE’s chief inspector of construction, warned that the industry still had a long way to go to improve its record.

He said: “I am pleased to note that on many sites, parties were applying the simple precautions set out in the pre-blitz publicity. However, there were still far too many sites where this was not the case. There is clearly still much to be done by the industry to make the most basic precautions more commonplace.”

Although the blitz was targeted at occupational health issues, more than 100 enforcement notices related to other threats, such as the risks of falls from height. Closed sites will have to reform health and safety practices before reopening.

Meanwhile, provisional HSE figures for fatalities for the year to 31 March report 70 deaths among construction workers, the same figure as for both 2003 and 2004.