HSE shines spotlight on safety at smaller construction
firms
Health & Safety update 19/08/2011
The Heath & Safety Executive (HSE) is to focus its spotlight
on the health and safety record of smaller construction firms and
contractors.
As part of HSE's ongoing evaluation of the Construction (Design
and Management) Regulations 2007, the health and safety records of
smaller construction firms are to be scrutinised. This is due to a
rise in the number of deaths happening on small construction sites
with less than 10 workers. Whilst these smaller firms only
accounted for 30 per cent of such deaths 10 years ago, that figure
rose to 65 per cent in 2010.
The CDM Regulations aim to improve the management and
implementation of health and safety rules during a construction
project in a bid to reduce the number of accidents that could occur
on site. These regulations apply to construction projects of all
sizes.
Whilst the HSE has praised tier one contractors for measures
they have taken to improve their site safety, the body said that
there was still progress to be made within smaller firms.
Head of the HSE Construction Policy Unit, Anthony Lees, spoke on
the topic in May when he said that, whilst it was unlikely that
there would be 'significant changes' made to the existing CDM
regime, there were still some smaller construction firms that were
not following the rules.
The HSE confirmed that there must be an increase in on-site
monitoring in order to prevent these continuing breaches from
occurring.
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