SHP’s deputy editor Andrew Sansom passes his ConstructionSkills — Operatives — Health and Safety test, but can he describe himself as ‘competent’ in construction health and safety? Hardly!
When Olympic cycling hero Chris Hoy was asked earlier this year about his chances of glory in Beijing, he told the Daily Mail: “It’s all about confidence, going into a race knowing we have the best programme, have done the most work, and have the best equipment.”
Undoubtedly, this combination of factors played a major part in the eventual avalanche of medals won by Britain’s cycling team. But Hoy omitted another crucial ingredient that must surely have helped: he, and several other individuals in the team, had the right attitude and approach.
Ultimately, this was key to his and the team’s competence, says Kevin Fear, head of health, safety and the environment for ConstructionSkills — the Sector Skills Council for the UK’s construction industry. Speaking at a recent media briefing about health and safety in the sector, Fear suggested that attitude towards health and safety was likely to become an emerging issue in construction, and that it could become a significant element in future court cases involving a health and safety breach.
He points out: “A driving licence shows competence. But we can all bring to mind people who we don’t like driving with because of their attitude.”
But why does the construction industry continue to witness the highest number of deaths compared with other sectors? Fear cites a number of reasons for the failure to bring about significant change: the expectations of managers; peer-group pressure; senior managers’ competence; the staff appraisal and reward system; and staff recruitment and selection.
He also warns it is easy for individuals to slip back from a state where they are unconscious that they are competent, into a scenario where they actually become unconscious about their incompetence — either because complacency sets in, or because people become immune to new ways of doing things.
This is especially important, as the definition of competence can change over time.
Consequently, competence can be gained and lost, and needs to be regularly reassessed against current standards. Evidence to back this argument can be found in an HSE report published in 2004. Entitled Improving health and safety in construction, phase 2, depth and breadth, the report states “[I]n the majority of these cases (construction transport accidents) it was felt that the problem stemmed from a violation of known rules more than a lack of knowledge.”
Hence, according to Fear, while qualifications, such as passing the ConstructionSkills Health and Safety test; skills; experience; and training all help to create a competent person, if that individual does not have the right attitude to apply his skills and knowledge appropriately, and keep his learning and development up to date, his competency will quickly become a devalued currency.
It is hoped that the emphasis the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 place on competence, and the potential the duties offer for future prosecutions based on whether relevant parties are competent, will help to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries in the sector. With the UK now in the throes of recession, employers’ attitudes to demand the highest health and safety standards will be severely tested. Let’s hope they pass with flying colours!
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