April 10, 2002—The UKs Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new Construction Division, which will draw together the existing construction inspectors within the HSE. The construction industry set the following revitalizing targets for improvement. To reduce:
- the incidence rate of fatalities and major injuries by 40% by 2004/5 and 66% by 2009/10;
- the incidence rate of cases of work-related ill health by 20% by 2004/5 and 50% by 2009/10:
- the number of working days lost from work-related injury and ill health by 20% by 2004/5 and by 50% by 2009/10.
There were 114 fatal injuries in the construction industry between 1 April 2000 and 31 March 2001. The most common causes of injury were falls from height (44%), struck by moving vehicles (17%), and trapped by something collapsing or overturning (17%).
The HSE’s Chief Inspector of Construction, Kevin Myers, said, “The new Division will for the first time allow the deployment of HSE’s construction resource under the direct management of the Chief Inspector and his team. This will enable us to better focus our activities on achieving our ultimate objective – a significant reduction in accidents and the causes of ill health within the construction industry.”
For more information, contact the Health & Safety Executive.
