The initiative, developed by the Construction Employers Federation (CEF), involves the managing directors of 20 major construction firms leaving the boardroom behind and getting out on site to communicate their commitment to the health and safety of all their workers in a way which is ‘visible and felt’.
John Armstrong, Managing Director of the CEF explained: “Leaders in Construction Safety is all about directors and senior managers getting the message across to operatives, face to face, that nothing is more important than their safety. Sometimes people get caught up in the pressures of getting a job done and risk their lives in doing so.”
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“Last year, six people died and over sixty suffered a major injury whilst working on a construction site in Northern Ireland. Through this pioneering initiative the directors of these twenty companies will monitor unsafe acts, not just near misses or accidents. Where they witness unsafe situations whilst on site, work will be halted immediately and not allowed to recommence until the unsafe situation is rectified. If we can reduce the number of unsafe acts we can reduce the number of injuries and deaths.”
Professor Peter McKie, Chairman of the Health and Safety Executive of Northern Ireland has provided invaluable guidance to the Federation in the development of Leaders in Construction Safety. His experience has shown that the proper implementation of this approach to safety leadership can be very effective in reducing injuries and improving all round business performance.
John Armstrong said: “It is a busy time for the construction industry and with that comes many financial, resource and time pressures but safety must stay at the top of the agenda. I commend these Leaders in Construction Safety for going the extra mile to ensure their operatives leave the site at the end of the day as fit and healthy as when they arrive.”
(CL)
