Fax: 01444 414813
Email: info@airstream.co.uk
Each year, across Europe, 1,200 lives are lost in the construction industry. ‘Well, Europe is a large place and construction is dangerous’ you may think, but this is twice the average of other types of workplace, and is equivalent to one in every 100,000. If you consider that there are 12.7 million employees in the sector, nearly eight percent of the EU’s total workforce, it becomes clear that it is such a significant problem that something needs to be done.
It isn’t even as if cost is a factor, far from adding expense increased attention to health and safety would end up saving money. A lot of money. A study carried out in the UK worked out that the cost of occupational accidents and ill health in construction accounted for 8.5 percent of the projected costs of a job. These added expenses came from delays, absenteeism and health and insurance charges as well as other knock on effects of health and safety problems.
If these figures hold true to the rest of Europe it would mean that €75 billion a year from a €902 billion industry is spent on problems that could be avoided or reduces by greater attention to health and safety issues.
With this record it is no surprise that the EU’s Agency for Safety and Health at Work has chosen this year to launch a campaign focused on construction industry safety.
Launched in April the Building in Safety campaign has been drawing attention to the health and safety risks in Europe’s construction industry, as well as offering solutions. The agency has a campaign that focuses on a different area of health and safety every year, but with 30 countries across the continent this is the largest one of its kind ever.
“Our goal is not only to raise awareness of the risks, especially among small to medium sized enterprises, which account for more than 80 per cent of workers in construction, but also to provide the tools to improve standards,” claims Hans-Horst Konkolewsky, the agency’s Director. “This includes guides for risk assessment and examples of good practice solutions all freely available from our website.”
Speaking at the launch of the campaign in Dublin Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament, highlighted the increased risk from musculoskeletal problems, exposure to hazardous substances and the many other risks that construction workers experience that are significantly above the average. “These problems need to be urgently addressed, not only to alleviate the very real human suffering, but also the reduce the financial burden on businesses and society,” she said.
The campaign isn’t about pointing the finger though, the aim is to include all trades and industries that have some involvement in construction as Bertie Ahern, PM of the Republic of Ireland, said at the Dublin launch: “Tackling this issue is not just the problem of construction firms; it is the duty of everyone with a stake in the sector, including architects, planners, engineers and others. Many accidents on building sites are due to decisions taken before work starts.”
As could only happen with an EU campaign Building in Safety has two finales, 18-22 October is European Week for Health and Safety at Work, with many special events organised across the EU. But as well as this, and well worth paying attention to is the European Construction Safety Summit, which will take place in Bilbao on the 22nd of November. This will cover three main topics: procurement, design and planning; management of OSH on construction sites; and prevention of health problems in construction.
For anyone involved in the provision of tools, materials of equipment to the construction industry it is likely prove worthwhile noting the topics covered at the summit, and the lessons and conclusions reached. It may well hold clues to practices in health and safety that may become common place in future and lead to the fall in demand for some types of equipment/materials and an increased need for others.
As the campaign emphasises with a problem of the scale of this it is involvement of everyone who plays a part, or has a connection with the industry to that will lead the way to the best solution.
As Hans-Horst Konkolewsky says: “The situation won’t change overnight, but I’m confident we can make a significant impact, provided we have everyones commitment.”
Click on icon (above) for the full story!
Airstream Business Communications Ltd