Importance of Health and Safety
Importance of Health & Safety
Extract taken from IT Showcase News Magazine February 2007
Making sure that building sites of small and medium sized building companies are safe has risen up the agenda with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) now making thousands of random site inspections every year.
According to the latest HSE figures, over 4000 major accidents are reported each year (fractures, amputations, unconsciousness, loss of sight, electric shocks etc), and that’s why the construction industry has set its own targets to reduce the rate of fatal and major injuries by 66% by 2009/10.
In addition over 70 fatalities occurred on sites between April 2004 and March 2005 – of which 70% are whilst working on small construction projects.
Building companies have a legal obligation to demonstrate that they take their responsibilities seriously and that they have done as much as is reasonably practicable to safe guard their employees, subcontractors and general public.
Serious injuries and fatalities not only costs UK building companies thousands of pounds in down time and injury claims, but if the HSE finds a company has not complied, then the implications are very serious ranging from fines, the shutting down of a site, criminal prosecutions and in some cases prison sentences.
Recent examples of fines described on the HSE’s own website include a £1500 penalty for ‘inadequate management of control of traffic’ to a £25,000 fine when a joiner was injured on site ‘when a joist failed under his weight.’
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Red Tape
Despite the reasonable intentions of health and safety legislation, the net result appears to be a mountain of paperwork for the jobbing builder.
A survey carried out by building software specialists HBXL revealed that over a third of builders say that health and safety red tape is putting them off the building industry.
With many already working well into the night and on weekends producing estimates and quotes the need to comply with the latest heath and safety legislation only adds to the working day in preparing the right paperwork and documentation.
The survey also highlighted that 74% of the respondents carry out their own health and safety paperwork in-house. Of these 67% spend up to two hours per job getting the paperwork together, 18% spend half a day with 14% taking up to two days!
In addition, those who out-source their health and safety paperwork 61% spend up to £250 per job, with 27% spending between £250 to £500 and 12% spending between £500 to £1,000.
Links to Health and Safety Information: