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Government Needs to Tackle The Grey Economy to Reduce Deaths on Construction Sites says FMB
Following the Construction Safety Summit on 17 September, chaired by Peter Hain MP, Secretary of State for Works and Pensions, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) is warning that the Government needs to tackle the grey economy in the construction sector if it wants to reduce the number of accidents and deaths on construction sites.
Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at the FMB says, “FMB is committed to the highest standards of health safety but with over a 150,000 registered construction firms and only 24,00 affiliated to any recognized trade body there is an urgent need to get more builders to join a trade body such as the FMB to help improve health and safety standards in the sector. If VAT on repairs and maintenance were to be reduced from 17.5% to 5% this would help eliminate the cowboy builders.”
FMB is also urging the Government to:
• Embed health and safety training into daily work practice. All too often health and safety training is regarded as an add on to daily work rather than an integral part of daily practice within the world of work. FMB wants to explore with the Government ways in which health and safety could be made to work more effectively using existing drivers and delivery mechanisms such as Construction Skills, CIS etc
• Make all HSE health and safety training promotional material freely available. To reach a wider audience DVDs and videos should be made freely available to everyone and downloadable from the FMB website. FMB wants to explore the possibilities of closer links with HSE Publications with a view to including some of their literature in our membership packs. Such a move would help to change cultural behaviors.
• Increase funding for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Government funding for the HSE needs to be increased to ensure that new health and safety legislation is complied with. The new Construction and Design Management Regulations, which came in force in April 2007, are being undermined by the Government’s refusal to invest in more Health and Safety Executive inspectors to police the new rules and ensure proper safety standards are maintained. The number of inspectors has been in decline since 2002 and further cuts are being planned. Investing more money in inspectors will save lives and deter cowboy contractors. Consideration also needs to be given to resurrecting the Worker Safety Advisor scheme. Third party advisors often have a more immediate effect on health and safety practices than site mangers.
Guidance to help industry respond to the zero carbon challenge
It is always worth paying attention when government ministers talk about building, as it can often give an indication of what kind of regulations could be introduced in future, and so what kinds of products builders may be demanding from suppliers. Earlier this month Housing and Planning Minister Yvette Cooper called on developers to refocus their efforts to deliver the eco homes of the future as Communities and Local Government published revised guidance to help the construction industry respond to the challenge of meeting the zero carbon homes target.
The guidance, which responds to comments and feedback from industry, provides greater clarity in a number of areas including the future eligibility of different energy sources and the method for calculating anticipated water consumption.
Yvette Cooper said: “We need to build more affordable homes but we also need to cut carbon emissions at the same time. That is why we are working with industry to meet the zero carbon challenge including through financial incentives.”
For more information visit: http://www.ciob.org.uk/news/view/1567
HSE warns construction workers ‘don’t take the risk’
“Nearly 1 in 3 construction refurbishment sites inspected put the lives of workers at risk”, Stephen Williams, HSE Head of Construction said today.
This startling figure comes after The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out over 1500 inspections as part of its rolling inspection programme, resulting in enforcement action on 426 occasions in just two months.
Stephen Williams said: “We stopped work on site immediately during 244 inspections because we felt there was a real possibility that life would be lost or ruined through serious injury. It is completely unacceptable that so many lives have been put at risk. Our inspectors were appalled at the apparent willingness to ignore basic safety precautions.
“We are determined to tackle this issue head on and will continue to take enforcement action against those rogues who flout safety precautions. Let me be clear to all those who put lives at risk - we will continue to carry out further inspections and will take all action necessary to protect workers, including closing sites and prosecution”.
Work at height still remains the biggest concern. Over half of the enforcement action taken during this inspection initiative was against dangerous work at height, which last year led to the death of 23 workers.
Welcoming the Secretary of State’s decision to hold a construction forum to discuss safety standards in the construction industry, HSE confirmed that inspectors will continue to target falls and trips in the refurbishment sector as part of their ongoing work.
Electrical Safety Council calls for sparkies throughout the UK
The Electrical Safety Council is on the look out for registered electrical contractors to work with them on their new charitable safety scheme. The ‘Electrical Installation Safety Improvements Grants scheme’ has been designed to offer homeowners aged 60 and over, who are in receipt of a ‘means tested benefit’, electrical improvements to their homes in order to bring them up to a safe standard.
The first stage of the scheme is the assessment of the existing electrical installation at nominated properties, and the production of a detailed periodic inspection report. Electrical contractors who are registered with a Scheme Operator or a Trade Association as competent to carry out periodic inspection and testing of domestic installations are being sought by the Council to carry out this work.
Where the report identifies the need for remedial work, another electrical contractor registered with one of the government-authorised schemes, will be required to carry out the work on the affected property. All of the work is funded by the Grants scheme.
Any registered electrical contractors happy to be contacted about working on the scheme should contact the Electrical Safety Council by telephoning
0870 040 0561 or emailing grants@esc.org.uk.
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