'We must address cultural issues'

Take ownership of safety matters within your area of influence, urges Health and safety commissioner John Spanswick

I reported in the Strategic Forum for Construction Health and Safety Task Group’s fifth report that: “I am encouraged by the fall in fatal injuries for 2005-06 to that of the lowest on record…”

Five months on I am having to talk about a very different picture. The 2006-07 figures confirm 77 deaths as a result of construction activity, an increase of around 34 per cent on the previous year.
This is a very worrying situation and all of us within the industry have a responsibility to do something about it.

In 2001, following the Construction Summit, the industry set its own target to reduce the rate of fatal injuries to workers by 40 per cent by 2004-05 and 66 per cent by 2009-10. This means that by now we should have reduced the rates by around 50 per cent – the reality is that we have achieved less than 40 per cent reduction. The picture is also not good when compared against other industries – the highest number of fatalities are caused by construction which accounts for 31 per cent of all fatal injuries to workers.

So it is clear that more needs to be done and in my view the industry should work together to put in place a specific action plan to tackle the key areas and issues.

I have carried out a review of a number of fatal incidents at Bovis Lend Lease UK and worldwide. I would like to share my thoughts on the common themes arising from many of the cases which showed that:

• There were no supervisors present at any of the incidents;

•  For each incident there was an inappropriate or lack of relevant risk assessment for the work and tasks undertaken;

• In some cases there was a clear lack of resource to carry out the task.

I am working hard within Bovis Lend Lease and with the Major Contractors Group to address these issues within the UK. Within MCG, it is apparent that the ratio of supervisors to workers is too low – we are looking to raise these ratios. The supervisor has a responsible role on site and must be equipped with the right skills and experience to carry out his tasks. The MCG is therefore looking to further support their supervisors and help them gain the necessary skills to enable them to carry out their role with confidence and expertise.

A clear, relevant and sufficiently detailed risk assessment and method statement is essential in setting up an effective process to prevent and control health and safety issues. My role as a Health and Safety Commissioner enabled me to see how successful point of work risk assessments have been in the nuclear industry. We could learn much from that approach.

The improvement in the health and safety statistics since 1999 shows that the industry can work together to improve the health and safety of its workers and others affected by construction activity. We have made significant progress in improving construction processes and equipping our workforce with the necessary skills to undertake their work in a safer and healthier way – such as the MCG’s qualifying the workforce initiative.

But in order to achieve long-term change, we must address the cultural and behavioural issues within the industry. There should be more corporate and individual responsibility, with a greater understanding of the impact their actions can have on others.

Poor behaviour should be challenged by us all and everyone should have the confidence to be able to confront unsafe behaviour. Our experiences working on the Government’s Job Centre Plus refurbishment programme proved to me that positive behaviour of all those involved in a construction project including clients, designers and workers can reap significant health and safety, economic and management benefits.

The legal and enforcement processes must be in place but will not succeed alone – it should become socially unacceptable to ignore health and safety. It should be acceptable for everyone to have a reasonable expectation that the industry will not put their lives at risk.

This industry by its nature continually changes and it is a real challenge for us to make sure that our approaches reflect these changes. I welcome the approach taken by the Strategic Forum, MCG and others to tackle key health and safety issues such as tower cranes.

Industry leadership is crucial. Working together is central to making it happen. I urge everyone within the industry to take ownership within their area of influence and help make a difference to improve the health and safety record that this industry has suffered for many years.

John Spanswick is the chairman of Bovis Lend Lease Global and a commissioner of the Health and Safety Commission. He is also chairman of the Strategic Forum for Construction Health and Safety Group.