HSC press release C062:03 - 7 November 2003
Minister for Work, Des Browne presented awards to health and safety champions at the Working Well Together (WWT) 4C awards dinner last night.
During his keynote speech Mr Browne said: "Everyone who has entered this competition is a winner. They have risen to the challenge of improving performance within their own workplaces and demonstrated their determination to pursue real and lasting health and safety achievements."
Winning entries in the WWT Awards competition displayed the best approach to the 4C's of health and safety: co-operation, communication, competence and commitment. In addition to this, two awards were given to small firms and the 'number one worker' was also awarded. Judges also commended a special award to the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS). The winners were:
As there are two joint winners DSM have sponsored an additional £1,000, making a total of £4,000. Each joint winner will receive £2,000.
Carillion Building North, winner of the large firms Co-operation Award, was declared by the judges as the best entry overall and described as a 'definitive study for how Construction Design and Management Regs ought to work'. Co-operation was a keynote feature of Carillion Building North's strategy during its development of an £18m office complex in Liverpool. The judges noted that "work was taking place up and down Carillion's supply chain to deliver measurable improvements."
Channel Tunnel Rail Link, winner of the large firms Communication Award, has being running a Target Zero Accidents campaign during the construction of the £5.2bn new railway line. This campaign brings health and safety to the forefront of the project's priorities on a daily basis. Judges were impressed by the wide range of communication methods used by CTRL and the evidence that these methods had proved effective.
AKE Scaffolding topped all the small and large firm entries winning the Competence Award outright and was joint winner of the second small firms award. The company's safety record is outstanding and employees are encouraged to go to school at company expense to achieve the highest level of advanced scaffolding. The judges described the firm as "an established company that has changed with the times" and a family firm that really cares for its workers' safety.
West Yorkshire-based Controlled Demolition Group, winner of the large firms Commitment Award, has demonstrated its commitment to health and safety in numerous projects it has undertaken. Controlled Demolition Group took the honours after judges recognised their "clear commitment to investing in people and technology, and investing in people to make demolition a more professional industry".
Quadric, winner of the small firms Commitment award and a £3,000 cash prize, has taken the unusual step of appointing a full time health and safety officer, a costly investment for a company of its size. This investment has improved the company's understanding and application of the CDM Regulations in particular is now much more focussed. Judges cited the "good element of quality in their proposal, commitment to CSCS and honesty in accepting accident figures have gone up albeit due to better reporting".
Portsmouth-based builders Austins were jointly selected with AKE Scaffolding to receive the second £3,000 small firms cash prize for the best entry in one of the co-operation, communication or competence categories. This prize money was boosted to £4,000 in light of the two winners. Austins got in touch with four local schools to communicate to children the dangers of playing on and attempting to break into building sites and set up a poster competition with a top prize of £50. The judges were very impressed with the company's entry and said "the company had shown great maturity by going beyond the site and into the local community."
It was obvious from the nominations for Eddie Lubarsky, working for George Wimpey in South Wales and winner of No. 1 Worker Award, does not walk by problems. One example that impressed the judges was the innovative solution to a communication problem on site with two bricklayers who were deaf and mute. Unable to shout instructions to them, someone had to stop what they were doing and climb up to which ever floor the bricklayers were working on. By developing a system of coloured cards, Eddie enabled staff to communicate visually, no matter what floor they were on. This resulted in less climbing up and down and a 25% increase in production.
In awarding a special prize this year, the judges commented, "CSCS has risen to the challenge of developing a single competence card for health and safety that is recognised across the construction industry. The CSCS health and safety test is now recognised as a first step towards improved knowledge about on-site health and safety. With over half a million people now holding a card, CSCS is playing a major part in raising health and safety standards."
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.
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/. To join WWT call 0845 27 27 500.
3. Judges of this year's WWT Awards were:
4. 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:
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