CONSTRUCTION REVITALISING DISCUSSION DOCUMENT:
INDUSTRY RESPONSES SHAPE HSE'S AGENDA FOR CHANGE

HSE Press release: E109:03 - 3 July 2003

Education, clients, integrated teams, the workforce, small firms, senior managers, occupational health, reviewing legislation and enforcement initiatives. These are the key areas of a preliminary action plan developed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) having considered the construction industry's responses to the Revitalising Health and Safety in Construction Discussion Document.

Acting on Responses to HSE's Discussion Document: Revitalising Health and Safety in Construction, published today, surveys the responses made by industry to the Revitalising Discussion Document and outlines the broad agenda and actions that HSE will undertake, working with industry, to bring about further improvements in health and safety performance.

Kevin Myers, HSE Chief Inspector of Construction said: "Respondents to the Discussion Document identified a number of key issues as the areas that offer the greatest potential for improvement or create the greatest barriers to change in health and safety performance of the construction industry. These included culture, education, clients, integrated teams, workers as well as the role of the HSE and the law. Many of these issues are already being addressed by industry initiatives such as Rethinking Construction, Achieving Excellence and the Strategic Forum for Construction."

HSE has developed an action plan in response to the ideas and information received from industry through the discussion document process. This action plan sets out our agenda and the ways in which the HSE can contribute towards delivering improvements in the health and safety performance of the industry. Many are issues that we have already identified in our work plans and will continue to deliver. Others will be developed in consultation with relevant stakeholders."

But, of course, it is those who create risk that must manage it. For this reason the action plan highlights relevant work that the industry is already undertaking for itself and commits HSE to continuing to support and encourage this effort by working with industry stakeholders to make further improvements. One thing is very clear from the analysis - confirmation, if it were needed, that no single action or organisation can achieve the improvements that are required, and those who responded, are seeking. Only by persistently working together on a broad front can we deliver the step-change in attitudes and working practices that we are all committed to."

The plan is set out under nine headings with nearly 50 individual action points. It is a preliminary response and should be seen as an evolving programme. To give a full picture of activity going on, it includes parts of some HSE wide programmes of particular relevance to the construction industry, such as employee involvement and consultation. This preliminary plan for action was endorsed by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) at its meeting in June 2003.

In summary, the key areas identified by industry were:

• The industry culture topped the list of the greatest barriers to change, with inertia and complacency the most frequently cited characteristics.
  
• Respondents attached the highest importance to the need for education, training and competence based assessment.
  
• The role of clients and the need for realistic timescales and greater emphasis on 'best value' rather than 'cheapest and quickest'.
  
• Looking at the responses to the specific questions on integrated teams (Qs12 & 13), it is clear that the impact of integrated teams is overwhelmingly seen to be beneficial and to embrace improved health and safety performance.
  
• Effective involvement of the workforce is widely recognised as important in itself and a prerequisite for progress on other issues.
  
• Many responses identified preparing new or revised legislation and in its enforcement as a specific mechanism by which HSE can contribute to improvement in the industry.

A copy of Acting on Responses to HSE's Discussion Document: Revitalising Health and Safety in Construction can be viewed at http://www.hse.gov.uk/consult/2002.htm

Notes to editors

1. In September 2002 HSE published 'Revitalising Health and Safety in Construction Discussion Document', based on discussions with the Health and Safety Commission's Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC), to stimulate discussion about the best ways to improve health and safety standards in construction.

2. In April 2003 HSE published the database of the almost 300 broad ranging responses to the Revitalising Discussion Document received as part of this consultation process. A summary of the comments received can be viewed at http://www.hse.gov.uk/consult/2002.htm

3. Revitalising Health and Safety, published in June 2000, is a Government and Health and Safety Commission (HSC) initiative that sets targets for the nation to reduce work-related deaths, ill health and injury in Great Britain. More details about Revitalising Health and Safety can be found on the HSE website on http://www.hse.gov.uk/revitalising/index.htm

4. The construction industry has committed to a step change in 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.

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