THIS week marks the return of European Health and Safety Week; the perfect time for British industry to step back and assess our performance at keeping our workers safe.
Construction, by its very nature, poses more risks than most other sectors. Building sites can be dangerous and it is crucial that every measure is taken to ensure safety procedures are in place to protect staff. The recent downturn has put increasing pressure on employers but health and safety remains a priority in good times and bad.
This is why it is so pleasing to see that almost 600,000 CITB health and safety tests are forecast to be completed in 2013, a 16 per cent uplift on 2012. CITB is the leading construction training provider in Europe, delivering qualifications to meet the current and emerging needs of industry and we project that by the end of 2013, a health and safety test will have been booked every 54 seconds.
We commend employers in Oxford on their outstanding commitment to health and safety and urge the industry to continue to ensure that the UK construction industry is one of the safest in the world.
GILLIAN CAIN, Regional Delivery Manager for the South CITB, Kings Lynn, Norfolk
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