There is a growing momentum in the construction industry to combat ill health and occupational diseases but more work needs to be done to protect workers, particularly around designing-out risk.
Ian Strudley, HSE
Speaking at the Safety and Health Expo 2015 Ian Strudley, Health and Safety Executive’s head of health risk management unit, said that he had seen improvements in the sector since HSE had refocused its efforts on health a few years ago.
However, he argued that much more needed to be done to control risks at source rather than simply treat the symptoms of exposure.
Mr Strudley highlighted HSE’s ‘health initiative’, which ran from 23 June to 4 July 2014 and was the first time that the health and safety watch dog had dedicated significant resources to health issues. Over the two-week period, HSE carried out 500 inspections and issued 13 prohibition notices and 108 improvement notices.
Mr Strudley told delegates that the initiative had revealed that many construction companies were relying on respiratory protective equipment to control risk when they should be looking at other preventative measures.
Designers, he added, should do more to design out risk before construction projects began so that workers weren’t exposed to hazardous materials like silica and dust when materials were cut up.
The HSE’s head of health risk management unit concluded that the Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC) would soon be publishing its ‘managing occupational health in construction’ guidance to help the sector control risks more effectively.
