Bus promoting safer construction work tours the sites of Scotland

HSE Press Release E165:02 - 26 August 2002

Glasgow is today (Monday August 26) helping to launch the northern leg of a national bus tour aimed at cutting accidents and injuries in the construction industry.

The Working Well Together national bus tour gets under way at 10am in George Square, Glasgow, with construction workers from the many city centre sites getting the chance to visit the bus and obtain vital information on how they and their workmates can keep safe and healthy at work.

Glasgow City Council have assisted the tour by providing a site in George Square in the city centre. Councillor William O'Rourke JP, local authority representative on the Health and Safety Commission's Construction Industry and Advisory Committee (CONIAC) said:

"I understand this is the first time the WWT bus has been accessible to workers from so many sites at once. I am delighted that Glasgow can help in this way to keep its workers safe and healthy".

The construction industry employs around seven per cent of the workforce but accounts for 30 per cent of all reported accidents. In Greater Glasgow there were eight fatalities during the last year. There were 13 construction fatalities throughout Scotland.

In an effort to reduce these numbers, the construction industry, working with CONIAC, has established the UK's largest construction Health and Safety campaign - Working Well Together.

A key part of the campaign is the specially equipped Working Well Together bus, which visits major construction sites around the country, promoting site health and safety amongst the workforce. Since the bus started touring the country in 1999, more than 18,000 workers have signed up to the campaign.

After Glasgow, the tour is going on to visit Edinburgh and Inverness, before visiting northern England and North Wales. A tour earlier this year covered the Midlands and the South of England reaching over 6,000 workers.

On each tour, site workers will receive information packs containing advice on how to stay healthy and safe at work. They will also be able to test their safety awareness with fun competitions designed to get across a very serious safety message.

Hedley Horsler, Principal Construction Inspector for the Health and Safety Executive, said:

"Working Well Together is a very positive campaign. The bus brings safety and health messages directly to workers and also introduces an element of fun. Visit the bus if you get the chance - if you follow the advice it might save your life".

Notes to editors

1. Scottish dates for the late Summer 2002 Working Well Together bus tour are:

Monday 26th - George Square, Glasgow (8am-4pm)

Tuesday 27th - The New Gorbals, Glasgow (8am-4pm)

Wednesday 28th - Gyle Office development Edinburgh - HGB Construction Scotland (8am-4pm)

Thursday 29th - The Scottish National Gallery, The Mound, Edinburgh (8am-2pm)

Friday 30th - Eastgate Centre, Inverness (8am-2pm)

2. The Working Well Together helpline number is 0845 27 27 500.

3. The bus tour has drawn sponsorship form organisations in the construction industry, including Taylor Woodrow Construction Ltd, Hilti, Scafftag Ltd, 3M Occupational Heath and Environmental Safety, Ultrasun, the TUC, and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Press enquiries

All enquiries from journalists should be directed to the HSE Press Office