Event marks launch of new group to help make North East construction industry safer

Date:

13 April 2010

Release No:

NE/138/10

Builders, scaffolders, roofers, electricians, joiners and painters - in fact anyone who works in construction - are being invited to a special event at Wynyard Park, Billingham on Wedesday 28 April 2010.

The event will mark the launch of a new construction industry awareness group for the region - Working Well Together North East - and follows the success of the Health and Safety Event and Exhibition at Gateshead International Stadium last year - an event run by the industry for the industry.

The event is dedicated to raising awareness of important health and safety issues specific to the construction industry in order to try and reduce the number of fatal and serious incidents in construction and will consist of a series of presentations aimed at construction managers and operatives - starting at 9.30am and 1.30pm - which will last for approximately two hours in total.

Managers will hear how to change workers' attitudes to safety and how to "Keep it Legal". Presentations for operatives will include silica dust awareness, how to stay incident and injury free, reducing risks from manual handling and how they could be affected if things go wrong.

In the last 25 years more than 2,800 people have died from injuries they received as a result of construction work and many more have suffered serious injuries or been made ill. In 2008/09, there were 53 fatalities in the construction industry - that's equivalent to one a week.

There will also be a free exhibition at the event - open to anyone in the construction industry - where there will be distributors and suppliers of new equipment, services, ideas and solutions. Whether you are a well-known nationwide builder or a small, independent professional tradesman, then you should be visiting.

For further information, please visit www.wwt.uk.com/events.

Notes to editors

1. The event has been organised by the Working Well Together partnership in the North East, which is made up of more than 20 regional organisations, some of which can be found on the "Partners" page of the WWT North East regional group webpages. For more information about Working Well Together North East log onto the website at www.wwt.uk.com

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Regional reporters should call the appropriate Regional News Network press office.

Issued on behalf of HSE by COI News and PR North East