Building the way to safety on site

David Lummis, CEO of the British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF), discusses health & safety in the construction industry and the varying attitudes to the topic.

According to statistics from the HSE, in 2009/10 the construction industry had one of the highest rates of reported fatal injuries - 30 deaths - compared to any other main industry group. Additionally in 2009/2010, it was reported that 2 fatal injuries, 407 non-fatal injuries and 864 over three day injuries happened to individuals working in the construction industry because they were hit by a moving, flying or falling object.

Due to the very nature of the work, the construction industry is fraught with dangers; consequently minimising the risk of 'foreseeable' accidents and putting adequate prevention methods in place will go a long way to help reduce injuries in this sector.

In building construction work there are inherent dangers, particularly as structures are in a partially completed state for long periods of time. Additionally, all manner of tools and equipment are on site, materials are stored ready for use and dangerous waste materials are generated. Combine these with an ever changing workforce during the period of the build and each of these presents a hazard to the safety of the site personnel and the general public (if the site is close to public access areas).

Ultimately, the legal responsibility for health & safety sits with the contractor/owner of the site. To ensure safe working practices, a good attitude to safety by all site personnel must exist. Creating a safe working environment requires that in addition to any formal rules of conduct, workers must be kept aware and informed of the continually changing dangers of the site and the hazards that exist in their particular job roles - health & safety needs to be everyone's responsibility.

An example of an accident that took place during the construction of a residential property was when a labourer fell three metres down a temporary stairwell after a colleague had removed the guardrail. Consequently the labourer fell nearly three metres to the landing below; he suffered two broken ribs and a bruised kidney and he was unable to return to work for three months owing to his injuries. Consequently, the company appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on 27 July and pleaded guilty to breaching reg.4 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £8000.

While substantial improvements have been made in construction health & safety since the 2001 Construction Summit, needless deaths and injuries still occur. The construction industry needs support and encouragement to ensure continuing improvements are made. While the industry must be congratulated on what has been achieved - we must not lose sight of continuing failures. These failures could be addressed by a change of mindset - the workers, contractors and general public - if this change is backed up by some simple common sense actions, then numerous lives could be saved and injuries prevented.

To change these attitudes it is vital that those who need to set an example are doing so. It was disheartening to learn that recently a leader of a London council refused to wear a hard hat while visiting a redevelopment site in his borough, saying "people should have a choice whether to wear them or not." According to a local newspaper, Councillor Carr refused to abide by health & safety rules when being shown the progress of building work at The Pavilion leisure centre in Bromley as part of a group. Before entering the site, the construction firm's site manager handed out highvisibility jackets and hard hats and everyone put on the personal protective equipment (PPE) except for Councillor Carr, who refused to wear the hat. Once inside the site - where all workers have to wear a hard hat - the manager asked Councillor Carr why he was not wearing one, to which he replied: "I don't do hats".

Challenging attitudes This blatant disregard by Councillor Carr for construction health & safety rules is extremely disappointing as he should be leading by example. While I read that as a consequence, the site manager led the team around 'a safe zone' of the site, this story nevertheless highlights the inflexibility of the councillor in question. Whilst health & safety professionals, together with construction workers, continue to strive to reduce serious accidents on sites, his attitude highlights what is unfortunately probably not an isolated attitude. A serious attitude change towards health & safety is needed. Surely he is aware that the instances of death and injury can be considerably reduced by the provision and wearing of good quality PPE? With regards to hard hats, in theory, common sense should dictate that this is an essential piece of PPE in construction as there is a constant risk of moving, flying or falling objects. While legislation may dictate that site contractors need to minimise the risks associated with working on sites by providing the necessary PPE, at the same time an individual should be willing to protect themselves by readily wearing such equipment, without being forced to do so.

After all, jockeys would not participate in a horserace without wearing a riding hat, so why should individuals not wear a hard hat on a construction site that has been appropriately risk assessed? Each year too many construction workers are needlessly injured or killed while working on site. Whilst improvements have been made in recent years there needs to be continuing effort to increase awareness of health & safety in the UK construction industry in an effort to prevent needless accidents and deaths at work. Employers and employees, together with upstanding members of the community, need to join forces to present a positive image towards health & safety.