Construction Industry leaders make progress on Health and Safety Agenda

18 March 2008

The  Strategic Forum’s Health and Safety Group has set out new measures to take forward the industry’s Framework for Action.

Each of the ‘task and finish’ working groups set up to focus on individual issues has outlined progress being made.

The Framework arose out of the industry meeting called last year by the former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Peter Hain to address the rise in construction fatalities with particular focus on the house building and refurbishment sector.
The aim of the Framework for Action is to achieve real short term and long term improvements, having engaged a wide spectrum of industry and agreed targeted approaches. Members are committed to being able to clearly identify what action will be taken and what difference it will make.
The work of the ‘task and finish’ groups include:
1. Sharing Information
Chair – Stephen Ratcliffe, Construction Confederation
Actions being taken include a Strategic Forum webpage in devleopment that provides a single portal for H&S issues such as best practice and ‘near hits’.

2. Competence
Chair – Simon Mantle, National House Building Council
Has focused on  6 key issues – inductions, training, client leadership, SME’s, safety schemes in procurement and Worker Safety Advisors. Will target efforts on inductions and supervisor schemes.

3. Worker Involvement
Chair – Alan Ritchie, Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians
Has Identified key factors that influence worker engagement, is now focusing on developing model approaches to worker engagement, both formal and informal.

The Forum’s Health and Safety Group has also agreed to provide leadership for the industry by taking actions such as working with client representative groups to ensure better public sector procurement practices and to collate ‘near hit’ information for lessons to be learnt across industry.

The Health and Safety Group will provide a second report to the Government in August and will next meet in June.