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HSE/GNN539/W/07 4th October 2007

Newport Riverfront contractors to tell construction firms why design matters from the outset

The main construction contractor for Newport’s Riverfront Arts Centre will be talking about on the importance of taking health and safety issues into account at the design stage, at a seminar to be held in the venue next month.

Wilmott Dixon is just one of the organisations that will be on hand to share their expertise at the Designer Safety Awareness Day, which is supported by the Health and Safety Executive as part of the Working Well Together (WWT) group, a cross industry partnership with the aim of improving health and safety standards across the construction industry.  Other speakers come from the WWT membership, including Costain and Cardiff County Council. 

The session is free of charge to those in the construction industry and will include a tour of The Riverfront led by Philip Wolfenden of Wilmott Dixon, who will point out some of the key design features that have been included in the £16 million building, as well as sharing some of the experiences in complying with new health and safety regulations.

HSE’s principal inspector for Construction in Wales, Chantal Nicholls, said:

“Construction is one of the most hazardous industries to work in. There are more than two million people employed in construction in Britain, which makes it one of the country’s biggest industries. But by its very nature, it’s also one of the most dangerous, with many deaths caused each year, as well as considerably more injuries or illnesses.

“The recently introduced Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 place health and safety duties on virtually everyone working on a construction project and this event will help those in construction industry obtain clear information on these important changes.”

The event also provides an opportunity for those attending to seek advice from experts and practitioners from across the Working Well Together Partnership, including the HSE and the South Wales construction industry.
The event takes place at The Riverfront Arts Centre, Newport at 8.45am on Wednesday October 10th. Anyone working in construction, including architects, designers, building service engineers, structural engineers, mechanical engineers, civil engineers and chartered surveyors, may attend. For further information, please contact 029 2026 3033 or email info@constructingexcellencewales.org.uk 

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
  2. The partners include: Costain; Cardiff County Council; Cowlin Construction; Federation of Master Builders; Envirowise; Griffiths Civil Engineering and Construction; Leadbitter; Nuttall; Persimmon; Redrow; Carmarthenshire County Council; R&M Williams Ltd; The Midas Group; George Wimpey; CITB.
  3. Public Enquiries: HSE InfoLine, Tel: 0845 345 0055, visit: http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact or write to: HSE InfoLine, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly CF83 3GG.

Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by Government News Network Wales.