Working Well Together roadshow comes to London

HSC press release C024:05 - 26 September 2005

Stephen Williams, Chief Inspector of Construction, today welcomed the construction industry's Working Well Together (WWT) 2005 roadshow to a Bovis Lend Lease site at, 123 Bankside, SE1, an area undergoing redevelopment in central London.

Continuing the success of previous roadshows, this year's five-week nation wide tour has visited over 1300 workers on sites to date and will visit in the region of another 5700 workers during the remaining 3 weeks of the tour.

Developed by the industry, WWT promotes good practice and encourages everyone in the construction industry to work together to take action to improve health and safety on site. The roadshow highlights the key health and safety risks to workers on both large and small construction sites.

Speaking from the site, Stephen Williams said:

"During the last year, 72 construction workers needlessly lost their lives, 13 of those fatalities were in London. Every death is one too many. Through the continued support of this initiative the industry is showing leadership, working in partnership and taking ownership of the management of risk.

"Sites like this, which encourage worker engagement, show that where health and safety is proactively managed to get it 'right first time, right from the start and with the right people involved', a safer and healthier environment can be created."

This year the roadshow features interactive demonstrations highlighting the importance of safe lifting techniques, transport-viewing aids, safety harnesses and gives workers an opportunity to test their hearing levels.

Sponsored by HSS Hire, with additional sponsorship from Berkeley Homes, Bovis Lend Lease, Gleeson, Persimmon Group and Taylor Woodrow, the Roadshow is also supported by Federation of Master Builders (FMB), Scafftag, Constructing Excellence, Trades Union Congress (TUC), and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Notes to editors

1. 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 wwt.uk.com. To join WWT call 0845 27 27 500.
   
   The WWT roadshow consists of a large walk through trailer (visiting large sites) and a white transit van (visiting small sites). Both the roadshow and white van will visit large and small sites across England, Scotland and Wales. Since the summer of 1999, more than 25,000 workers have visited the tour. This years tour aims to reach at least 7000 workers and site managers.

2. The WWT roadshow tour dates are: -

   05 - 9 September Scotland & Northern England
   12- 16 September Scotland & Northern England
   26 - 30 September SE England
   10 -14 October Wales, Midlands, SW England
   17 - 21 October Wales, Midlands, SW England

3. After falling from height the most common kinds of fatal injury are being struck by a moving/falling object, being struck by a moving vehicle and contact with electricity.
4. In 2004/5, 72 workers died and thousands more sustained major injuries whilst working in the construction industry.
5. Stephen Williams took over as Chief Inspector of Construction on 19 September 2005. See PN E123-05
6. The Construction Health and Safety Summit 2005 was one part of the process to ensure that the construction industry takes the action it needs to in order to meet its Revitalising targets in 2009/10. The Summit aimed to provide an opportunity for the construction industry to review its progress on the commitments given in 2001 and commit to further action. At the 2001 Summit the industry set the following targets for improvement:
   • Reduce the incidence rate of fatalities and major injuries by 40% by 2004/5 and 66% by 2009/10;
   • Reduce the incidence rate of cases of work-related ill health by 20% by 2004/5 and 50% by 2009/10:
   • Reduce the number of working days lost per 100,000 workers from work-related injury and ill health by 20% by 2004/5 and by 50% by 2009/10.

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