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An unusual initiative has been taking place across the country - a series of mock public trials of company directors. Organised by the Health and Safety Executive, the aim of the events (entitled ‘Guilty or not Guilty: what's your verdict?') is to highlight what happens when something goes wrong and a worker is injured.
It is a timely reminder for all those in building services and construction. As a director or senior manager, it is your task to make sure employees are safe while at work. Following recent changes in the law, there are now much tougher penalties for those who breach the regulations.
In January, the Health and Safety Offences Act 2008 came into force. It raises the maximum fine that can be imposed in the lower courts to £20,000 for most health and safety offences. The maximum fine that can be imposed by the higher courts remains unlimited, and in serious cases, it means those breaking the law could face prison sentences of up to two years.
No new duties are imposed on employers as a result of the changes. However, the HSE says it wants to raise the stakes, to introduce a real deterrent to reduce the still very high rates of deaths and injuries among people at work. It is a particular problem in the construction and related industries.
The figures tell their own story. More than two million people work in the UK construction industry, making it the country's biggest industry. It is also one of the most dangerous. In the past 25 years, over 2,800 people have died from injuries received as a result of construction work. Many more have been injured or made ill.
Last year, 72 people were killed as a result of injuries sustained on construction sites, and many thousands were seriously injured. On a positive note, this represents a slight fall in fatalities on the previous year. However, the rate of major injury in construction remains the highest of any industry. It is a worrying picture.
While it would be wrong to accept it as an intractable problem - much can and is being done to reduce the accident and illness rate - there are very real practical reasons for the high incidence of accidents in construction. On-site risks are everywhere. Working at height is an obvious area; you are much more likely to suffer a slip, trip or fall on a construction site than in the relative order of a manufacturing facility.
There is use of machinery, power plant, hot working, heavy loads and potentially harmful materials, all in an environment with unstable and uneven surfaces, weather exposure and constant site change.
The health and safety risks of on-site working, and the tougher penalties now being applied for breaches, are an important driver in the growth of off-site modular construction. It is much easier to manage risks in a factory-controlled environment than on a construction site, no matter how well run. There are just too many variables, both human and logistical.
This, coupled with the significant cost and environmental benefits, is why I believe off-site fabrication of building services modules is set to become a mainstream solution because it is cheaper, greener and safer. It is a compelling argument.
