LIVERPOOL SCORES FIRST FOR SAFETY!

HSC press release: C018:03 - 29 May 2003

Liverpool scored a first for health and safety in the workplace when the City Council signed up to the Working Well Together (WWT) construction industry scheme.

It has become the first local authority team in the North West to sign up to the nationwide WWT scheme, giving it and its subcontractors access to free health and safety advice and a network of WWT member organisations who literally build health and safety into their plans.

The Council's Housing Risk Management team is responsible for maintaining and improving the city's 36,000 council properties. Principal Environmental Health Officer, Colin Garside, said: "As a long standing Health & Safety professional I believe passionately in promoting health and safety in the construction industry. Local Authorities are ideally placed to help reduce accidents in the workplace and we recognise the important role the WWT campaign plays to achieve culture changes and spread the message."

The WWT scheme is the UK's largest construction health and safety campaign, with over 4,000 participating organisations. It is supported by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), trade unions and the construction industry.

The HSE's Chief Inspector of Construction, Kevin Myers, said: "We are delighted that Liverpool City Council have joined the WWT Scheme, and are taking an important step to make sure construction workers stay safe and healthy in the workplace.

Local authorities have a key role to play as clients procuring construction refurbishment and maintenance, and as organisations carrying out such work directly. The repair and maintenance of housing stock is a potentially high risk activity and these risks need to be managed and controlled to protect the health and safety of workers and the public."

Pictured signing up for the WWT campaign are (left to right): Frank Mills Operational Technician Liverpool City Council (LCC) Disrepair Unit; Steve Hall, Health & Safety Adviser LCC; Paul Christopherson, Operational Technician LCC Disrepair Unit; Kevin Myers, HSE Chief Inspector of Construction; Pam Waldron, HSE Divisional Director; Colin Garside, Principal Environmental Health Officer, LCC Disrepair Unit; Ian Robinson, Manager Disrepair Unit LCC; Arthur Platt, Trade Supervisor LCC Disrepair Unit, Don Buckley Operational Technician, LCC Disrepair Unit, Brian Williams, Operational Technician LCC Disrepair Unit.

Notes to editors

Working Well Together (WWT) is the country's largest construction health and safety campaign, with over 4,000 participating organisations. It was launched by the Health and Safety Commission's Construction Industry Advisory Committee in 1999. WWT aims to improve performance in four key areas for health and safety - commitment, competence, communication and co-operation. The WWT campaign helpline is 0845 27 27 500. WWT website address: http://wwt.uk.com

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