ADDRESSING MAJOR CAUSES OF FATALITIES REMAINS HSE CONSTRUCTION DIVISION'S PRIORITY IN 2003/04

HSE press release E061:03 - 24 April 2003

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Construction Division will continue to target the major causes of accidents and ill health in the construction industry during 2003/04 and has identified further priority areas.

In its Annual Work Plan, a summary of which is published today, the HSE Construction Division outlines its priorities and approach for working with industry and unions to address critical health and safety issues. The Annual Work Plan is designed to work towards achieving the Revitalising Health and Safety targets the construction industry set for itself, and is complementary to the work of the Strategic Forum.

Priority issues identified again this year include falls from height and management of site transport, which together cause most fatal injuries. Occupational ill-health problems caused by manual handling, hand-arm vibrations (HAV) and noise induced hearing loss will also be targeted.

New priorities for the HSE Construction Division in 2003/04 are slips and trips, which last year caused 26% of major injuries, and temporary traffic management standards at road works on high-speed roads.

Kevin Myers, Chief Inspector for Construction and head of the Construction Division said today: "While there are some signs that the industry is beginning to improve on its poor health and safety record, there is no room for complacency.

"The Construction Division's Annual Work Plan seeks to identify the priority areas and outlines HSE's commitment to working with industry and unions to further improve health and safety in construction."

Building on last year's work, the plans for 2003/04 targets duty holders within the industry, intermediaries and others that have responsibility for and influence over health and safety on site. For example, last year HSE inspectors targeted eight government sponsors of major construction work in the UK. This work will continue through 2003/04, to make sure that projects sponsored by government operate on best practice principles.

The HSE Construction Division will also build on the success of the Working Well Together campaign. This campaign uses local safety and health awareness days (SHAD's) around the country, to reach small businesses and sole traders, who are able to attend free of charge and learn what they can do to improve health, safety and welfare arrangements. Last year approximately 2,300 people attended a SHAD, with a similar target aimed to be reached this year.

In 2003/04 HSE's core business of responding to complaints, conducting investigations, inspecting sites and taking enforcement action will continue, but will be more focused on the priority issues. These will be supported by inspection 'blitzes', most notably national blitzes in June and September as part of a European-wide campaign on falls from height.

Kevin Myers went on to say: "HSE formed the Construction Division a year ago, providing a new focus of HSE resources and effort on working with industry to improve health and safety in construction.

"Much of the work that is planned for 2003/04 will build on projects that began in 2002/03. Successful initiatives, such as the rolling inspection blitzes, will continue, along with more targeted programmes.

"Our priorities remain to reduce the toll of deaths and serious accidents caused by poor transport management and falls from height, reduce the toll of ill-health caused by manual handling, noise and hand-arm vibration, and to prevent slips and trips through a concerted campaign on poor house-keeping and storage of materials and equipment."

"In the long-term, by developing a competent workforce at all levels, with greater commitment and better communication and co-operation across the procurement supply chain, we can together attain improvements in business, and therefore in health and safety, performance."

Andy Sneddon, Health and Safety Director of the Construction Confederation said: "HSE continue to show a determined focus on the challenges facing UK construction. In particular, I welcome the renewed vigour in driving the message through government departments who procure construction work that features in this years plan. The continued focus on reaching smaller contractors is also of utmost importance as we all strive for an industry where no contractor can use shoddy health and safety practices to gain competitive advantage."

Tom Mellish, TUC Health and Safety Policy Officer said: "The TUC welcomes the acknowledgement in the Annual Work Plan that the involvement of, and consultation with, the work force and their representatives is crucial in improving the construction sector's deplorable safety record.

"The TUC also welcomes the priority given to occupational health issues. The provision of a comprehensive occupational health service is something that both government and the construction industry must address.

"The establishment of the Construction Division was a positive move towards improving the safety record of the construction industry. The TUC looks forward to working with the HSE, and employers, in the delivery of the Construction Division's programme of work that addresses key issues facing the industry today."

Notes to editors

1. Falls from height, transport and slips and trips are construction priorities that form part of the Revitalising Health and Safety Campaign. Revitalising Health and Safety, published in June 2000, is a Government and Health and Safety Commission initiative which sets targets for the nation to reduce work-related deaths, ill health and injury. More details about Revitalising Health and Safety can be found on the HSE website on www.hse.gov.uk/revitalising/index.htm

2. There were 85 fatal injuries in the construction industry between 1 April 2001 and 31 March 2002, six of which were to members of the public. 4862 people suffered major injuries, of whom 382 were members of the public. 9587 workers in the construction industry suffered injuries that kept them off work for more than three days.

47% of fatal injuries to workers were caused by falls from height in 2001/02 and 14% of fatal injuries were caused by struck by a moving vehicle.

26% of major injuries to construction workers were caused by slips, trips and falls on the same level. 9% of major injuries were caused while handling, lifting or carrying.
(Health and Safety Statistics 2001/02, www.hse.gov.uk/statistics)

Provisional figures show that there were around 80 fatal injuries relating to construction in 2002/03.

3. The construction industry has committed to a step change in performance, which 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% by 2004/5 and 66% by 2009/10;
• the incidence rate of cases of work-related ill health by 20% by 2004/5 and 50% by 2009/10:
• the number of working days lost from work-related injury and ill health by 20% by 2004/5 and by 50% by 2009/10.

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