Chairman of IOSH Construction Group Worried About Worker Safety
The Chairman of the IOSH Construction Group, John Lacey has expressed his concerns over safety at the workplace, specifically in refurbishment projects and in the construction sector as a whole. The concerns were made public after the release of official figures from the HSE on deaths at construction sites. The statistics suggest that as many as 53 workers died at construction sites last year, which shows a decline from the figures of the year before, but still remain unacceptably high.
There is a general belief among employers that refurbishment projects need lesser safety than other areas. This sector is also gaining importance as lesser projects are being undertaken in other construction activities, in the wake of the global economic downturn. These projects need greater attention as they are constantly expanding and pose a significant risk to the workers. It is possible to bring your building regs knowledge up to date and ensure your business is compliant with the recent changes to parts of the Building Regulations with a one day investment in training; learn from the
The biggest fear expressed by John Lacey is that often employers’ attempt to get the work in such projects done very fast, and tend to cut costs by compromising on safety measures. This not only puts the workers under huge accident risks but also gives rise to other health problems including muscular and skeletal disorders.
The main issue identified by Lacey in this regard is that most of these accidents are caused by obvious and avoidable reasons. This includes commonplace accidents like people falling from heights or objects falling on workers as well as they being struck by vehicles at the workplace. All these risks are not only well established but can also be avoided by using common sense and some basic safety mechanisms at the work place.
