Today’s guest blog is by Santia’s Key Account Manager for Construction, Joseph Hoey:
As a 35% cut in the HSE’s budget begins to bite, there is speculation that this may lead to a rise in the number of deaths in the construction industry. One death in any industry is one too many, but are there ever circumstances when anything above zero is “acceptable”?
The construction industry is already one of the most dangerous to work in and the expected decrease in unannounced HSE inspections due to cut backs, will surely send out the wrong message.
Construction sites are, in the main, safer where the use of large contractor organisations and skilled workers are employed on the project, however if the risk of being visited by the HSE is reduced, it is inevitable that inexperienced or even some experienced workers will cut corners and place themselves and others at risk.
Santia are witnessing this trend every day on UK construction sites – the non-compliances we have identified are up in the first quarter of this year.
Although the HSE are feared in certain sectors, there is a large amount of respect for the work they do in the construction industry which has helped promote safer sites and has quite rightly led to prosecutions for deaths and serious injuries.
To cut the funding and reduce HSE inspections at a time when the industry is on the up, could have a negative effect on the mind-set of certain individuals. We are on the right track in the direction we are going – don’t let a lack of funding derail all the good work that so many of us have put in over the years. Let us know your thoughts!
Santia are experts in construction health and safety consultancy and management. We offer a wide range of specialist support with a strong emphasis in providing practical solutions and risk control strategies, including:
- Construction Design and Management (CDM) Co-ordinator services
- Site safety auditing
- Accident investigation
- Toolbox talks
Further details can be found here.