I find the 'not allowed on the build site' bit pretty bizarre by our standards here. I'd imagine fist fights if contractors tried to tell locals here that they could not come onto property they own to inspect materials they bought in a home they have to live in when it's done.
The laws are probably different though. Here, If I hire a contractor to work on my property, as the hiring body, I am responsible to ensure the foreman will follow proper safety precautions. I don't think a court case has ever once come of it though, for a non-commercial build. 95% of residential home builders would not even know that they were responsible. I only knew this from an Occupational Health and Safety course I took through work.
Not saying it's a better system. Safety is important, but we were at our build sight almost every evening. Mostly because we rented a neighbours place for the duration, but I still would not have felt comfortable without regular visits. Although, to his credit, our contractor was top notch and last minute corrections or changes were never an issue. A rare experience, but true.
Last edited by Murph; 04/02/12 07:08 PM. Reason: clarity
