25,000TH VISITOR TO CONSTRUCTION SAFETY ROADSHOW

HSC press release C050:03 - 25 September 2003

The Working Well Together Construction Health and Safety Roadshow has received its 25,000th visitor during a stopover in Manchester.

The roadshow, now in its fifth year and featuring an interactive walk-through display, is taking key health and safety advice to construction workers and employers during a six-week tour of Great Britain.

The 25,000th worker to visit was Martin Thorpe from Leicester during the roadshow stop at the No 1 Spinningfields Sir Robert McAlpine site in Manchester.

Martin was presented with a £50 Red Letter Day voucher on behalf of Working Well Together. He is pictured receiving the voucher from HSE Principal Construction Inspector, Vincent Joyce, and McAlpine's Site Project Manager, Paul Walker.

Martin commented: "The Roadshow was a useful reminder of how to stay safe on site. It's good to see the industry making an effort to look after the workers. I was delighted to be the 25,000th worker and will probably remember my visit more than most."

Vincent commented: "Having reached over 25,000 workers over the last five years we believe that the Working Well Together Roadshow will have contributed to preventing many injuries and possibly deaths in the construction industry. We hope that the industry will continue to support WWT as part of their commitment to improving health and safety."

Paul Walker commented: "We actively support the WWT campaign and welcome the visit of the Roadshow to the Spinningfields site. The information from the roadshow is an ideal way to reinforce the health and safety training that we give to all of our workers."

The 2003 Working Well Together Construction Health and Safety Roadshow, featuring an interactive walk-through display, is taking key health and safety advice to construction workers and employers during a six week tour of Great Britain.

The Working Well Together Campaign promotes best practice and encourages everyone in the industry - workers, supervisors, managers and directors - to take action to improve health and safety performance.

Launching this year's Roadshow in Edinburgh, Des Browne, the Minister for Work, said:
"The Working Well Together Roadshow aims to prevent injuries and ill-health by delivering vital information and advice to construction workers at their places of work."

The construction industry can be a dangerous place to work. Last year 71 construction workers died and many thousands more were injured or suffered from health problems. Since the beginning of April this year over 40 construction deaths have been reported to the HSE.

Speaking about fatalities in the construction industry, the Minister said: "Each workplace death is an unacceptable tragedy. The continuing high number of deaths of construction workers in Great Britain, often caused by foreseeable risks, demonstrates there is no room for complacency.

"The industry support for the Working Well Together Roadshow is a positive sign that the industry is working together to improve its poor health and safety record. The Roadshow will ensure that workers, supervisors and managers are given the very latest information and guidance about workers health and safety."

• This year, the Roadshow is focusing on some key ways to reduce on-site risks. The Roadshow targets:
• Tidy sites and decent welfare;
• Safe working at height;
• Reducing the risks of workplace transport accidents;
• Safety in manual handling; and
• Health - protecting hearing, avoiding skin problems such as dermatitis, cement burns and skin cancer; and
• Avoiding exposure to asbestos.

The Roadshow is supported by Bovis Lend Lease, Forest Safety Products, Rethinking Construction, Renault Trucks UK Limited, Safesite Limited, Skanska, Taylor Woodrow, Trades Union Congress, Health and Safety Commission and Health and Safety Executive.

Thousands of workers are expected to visit the WWT Roadshow display as it visits construction sites throughout Scotland, Wales and England.

On each visit, site workers walk through an information display on the 'High 5' ways to reduce risks, receive an 'Absolutely Essential Survival Kit' and enter the WWT Roadshow competition by completing a health and safety quiz.

Notes to editors

1. In 2002/03 71 fatal injuries of construction workers occurred, which is 31% per cent of the total number of work place fatalities (226) in Great Britain. In 2001/02 there were 80 fatal injuries and 4480 major injuries were sustained by workers in the construction industry.

2. The regional breakdown of fatal injuries to construction workers in 2002/03 is:

i.

Wales and South West

5

ii.

East and South East

10

iii.

London

11

iv.

Midlands

14

v.

York and North East

9

vi.

North West

11

vii.

Scotland

11

TOTAL

71

3. Working Well Together (WWT) is the country's leading construction health and safety campaign, supported by the construction industry, trade unions and the Health and Safety Executive. For further information check out the WWT Campaign website at http://wwt.uk.com/

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