CONSTRUCTION HEALTH & SAFETY AWARDS NIGHT

HSC press release: C051:03 - 10 October 2003

Minister for Work, Des Browne will be presenting awards to health and safety champions of the construction industry on Thursday 6 November 2003.

These awards are part of Working Well Together (WWT), the construction industry's biggest health and safety campaign. The WWT Awards give recognition to those individuals and companies that go that 'extra mile' for health and safety.

Winners will be announced at the WWT Awards dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, at 7.00pm on Thursday 6 November. Des Browne MP, Minister for Work, will be giving the keynote speech. Guest speaker will be Fr. Anthony Sutch. Also present will be Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Chief Inspector of Construction Kevin Myers.

The quantity and quality of applications to the WWT Awards received has been exceptional. Entries have been received from a wide cross section of the industry including managers, the workforce, trade unions, professionals and others in the supply chain all seeking a chance to showcase what they have done to improve health and safety at work.

The short-listed entries for the Awards are:

CO-OPERATION, supported by Hays Montrose;

Large companies

• BP Chemicals, Hull
• Carillion Building North, Merseyside
• Interior plc, London
• Parker Merchanting, Leeds
• Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd, Birmingham

Small companies

• Alumet Systems (UK) Ltd, Warwickshire
• Jomaro, Ery

COMMUNICATION, supported by Scafftag;

Large companies

• BNFL plc Sellafield M&O Services, Cumbria
• Channel Tunnel Rail Link, London
• Teeside SHE Partnership, Middlesborough
• Balfour Beatty Major Projects, Great Dunmow
• Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, Rochdale
• HBG Construction, London

Small companies

• AKE Scaffolding, Kings Lynn
• Austins, Hampshire
• Jomaro, Ery
• Workwell - Rowley Regis and Tipton PCT, West Bromwich

COMPETENCE, supported by Construction Industry Training Board (CITB);

Large companies

• Barhale Construction, Walsall
• Edmund NuttaIl Ltd and Cleveland Bridge UK, Sheffield
• North Ayrshire Council, Aryshire
• Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, Rochdale
• Standards Unit DfES, Sheffield

Small companies

• AKE Scaffolding, Kings Lynn
• Jomaro, Ery
• Northern Cladding, Yorkshire
• Orkwell - Rowley Regis and Tipton PCT, West Bromwich

COMMITMENT, supported by Norwest Holst.

Large companies

• AMEC - SSE Project, Slough
• AWG Construction Services, Derbyshire
• Bluestone, Manchester
• Controlled Demolition Group, Cleckheaton
• Haydock Construction Health and Safety Initiative, Wigan
• Laing O'Rourke, Strathclyde
• Lend Lease, Middlesex
• Renfrewshire Council, Paisley
• Salamis ASL Ltd, Suffolk
• Federation of Master Builders, national

Small companies

• Bowater Windows Ltd, Sutton Coldfield
• Capital Roofing Ltd, Blackheath
• Quadric Ltd, Uckfield
• Regal Homes Developments, Warwickshire

Two cash prizes of £3,000 each will be awarded to qualifying small firms. The first, sponsored by the Birmingham Health, Safety and Environment Association will be awarded to the small firm winner of the Commitment category

A second cash prize of £3,000, sponsored by Demolition Services (Birmingham), will be awarded for the best small firm submission from one of the other three categories (co-operation, communication or competence)

A No 1 Worker Award supported by Lincsafe will be shortlisted after the closing date for entries on 17th October 2003. The winner will be announced at the Awards Dinner on 6th November 2003.

Judges of this year's WWT Awards are:

• Mike Cosman - HSE
• Bob Blackman - Transport and General Workers Union
• Frazer Clement - CITB
• Clive Johnson - National Specialist Contractors Federation
• Robin Powell - Chair of CONIAC's (Construction Industry Advisory Committee) Small Firms Advisory Group
• Gren Presland - Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)
• Andy Sneddon - Construction Confederation

Notes to editors

1. WWT Awards are supported by CITB, Hays Montrose, Norwest Holst, Scafftag, Birmingham Health Safety and Environment Association (BHSEA), DSM, Lincsafe, Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and HSE.

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

3. The construction industry has committed to a step change in health and safety performance. This was demonstrated through setting challenging Revitalising targets and adopting action plans at the Construction Safety Summit, which took place on 27 February 2001. The construction industry set the following Revitalising targets for improvement. To reduce:

• the incidence rate of fatalities and major injuries by 40 per cent by 2004/5 and 66 per cent by 2009/10;
• the incidence rate of cases of work-related ill health by 20 per cent by 2004/5 and 50 per cent by 2009/10; and
• the number of working days lost from work-related injury and ill health by 20 per cent by 2004/5 and by 50 per cent by 2009/10.

Press enquiries

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