Provisional figures for the six-month period from April 2001 indicate that there were 48 fatalities; a slight drop from 65 for the same period last year. Bill Callaghan, chair of the Health & Safety Commission quoted the fall at "Revitalising health and safety in construction: from concern to action" the follow-up conference to February's summit that was held on 18 October in London.
"Although this is a move in the right direction," warned safety minister Nick Raynsford, "48 people losing their lives is unacceptable and we must go further to bring down that number." Kevin Myers, chief inspector of construction with the HSE, reminded delegates that fatalities are a headline indicator and are not always true of what is happening. "Of the 48 deaths reported," he said, "three-quarters occurred in the second quarter, with a lot of fatalities in September."
New guidance was released in an aim to reduce the numbers further. The CDM Approved code of practice (ACoP) has been revised and will come into force on 1 February 2002. The CDM Regulations will be looked at, advised Myers, but he warned: "We can't use these to change the culture of the industry."
A revised and updated version of the HSE guide Health and safety in construction (HSG 150) was also unveiled as were two new publications: Achieving value for money through health and safety – the Office of Government Commerce's procurement guidance – and the Absolutely essential health and safety toolkit – a pocket-sized guide aimed at small contractors.
Nick Raynsford warned: "The Government wants to see real changes and won't be satisfied unless it sees that we're turning around this trend."
Source
Electrical and Mechanical Contractor