Construction Industry Attacked Over Safety

With the construction industry being criticised from union leaders for its inability to act to prevents accidents and avoidable deaths this article looks at what the construction industry are doing and can do in response to this attack.

The Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (UCATT) has recently accused the industry of costing workers their lives with this criticism coming on the back of the launch of an investigation into an accident which occurred at Heathrow’s Terminal Five in which a building worker was fatally injured.

The UCATT, which represents 125,000 workers in the construction industry, suggests that companies who appoint a dedicated director to be in charge of health and safety can see a 25% on average reduction in accidents. In some cases a proactive approach has seen up to an 80% fall in accidents.

So if appointing a dedicated person to be in charge of health and safety can make such massive differences what else can companies do?

As with most things careful planning is often the key to a job being done well. And when it comes to working in the construction industry this is even more important if the figures shown above are anything to go by. Someone once said if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Unfortunately for people working in the construction industry not taking the time to plan your work could result in not just failure but injury and death.

Using the right equipment is also particularly important when it comes to working in the construction industry. With builders, roofers, scaffolders and many other types of worker often working high up a slip, trip or accident due to the wrong equipment being used can be fatal. For example, workers might be tempted to save time by just using a ladder when for example scaffolding should be used. Ladders and stepladders are likely to be the most misused pieces of equipment for people working at height and as with any equipment you need to make sure that anyone using them has been trained and are competent using them.

And remember if the use of a ladder is appropriate then you should ensure it is in good condition, it placed on level and firm ground, it is secure and it is of the correct type (the HSE recommend class 1 industrial or EN131).

Northern Counties Insurance Brokers, the UK Insurance Broker and experts in risk management have produced these Top Tips on how construction workers can reduce their exposure to risk and with it their construction insurance, scaffolders insurance and roofers insurance premiums.

Planning. By having an effective management system in place the key areas of risk can be identified and goals can be set to make improvements. This should include selecting equipment and work practices that contain slip and trip hazards and if possible prevent them occurring.

Organisation. Get workers involved in and committed to reducing risks. This should involve giving people responsibilities to ensure that areas of the workplace are kept safe and then making sure everyone is aware who is responsible for each area.

Control. Keep a record of cleaning and maintenance work and encourage good health and safety.

Monitoring and Review. Keep an accident log and re-examine it on a regular basis to learn from incidents that have occurred.

The Health and Safety Executive also recommend a 5 step approach to risk management when dealing with slip and trip risks and these are:

Step 1 – Look for slip and trip hazards around the workplace (e.g., uneven floors, trailing cables, areas that are sometimes slippery due to spillages)

Step 2 – Decide who might be harmed and how. Are the people who come into your workplace at risk?

Step 3 – Consider the risks – do you already have precautions to deal with the risks?

Step 4 – Record your findings if you have 5 or more employees

Step 5 – Regularly review the assessment. If any changes take place make sure that precautions are in place to deal with the risks

The safety of workers in the construction industry and indeed all industries should be paramount so hopefully the UCATT’s observations won’t fall on the deaf ears and construction companies will ensure their workers follow good health and safety practice and remain safe at work.

The F Word and Insurance

The F word in this case is Fraud and Insurance Fraud means that the average premium paid by policyholders is increased by £40 per year, according to a recent report.

With 1 in 11 claims reported to be in some way fraudulent, false claims are costing the insurance industry £4 million a day. And with 11% of adults (or around 5 million people) having committed insurance fraud in the past 12 months, fraud is on the increase according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

So who are these 5 million people?

And what can be done to stop them taking money indirectly out of our bank accounts?

Well if you’re a male, aged under 45 and are paying under £500 a year for your insurance whilst living in rented accommodation in the North of England then maybe it’s you as based on the average, the report says that:

- People over 45 are less likely to commit insurance fraud

- If you pay over £500 for your insurance you are 50% less likely to commit insurance fraud

- Homeowners are less likely to commit insurance fraud

- Males are 1.6 times more likely to commit insurance fraud

- If you live in the North of England you are 1.7 time more likely to commit insurance fraud

- If you have unsecured debt over £1,000 you are twice as likely to commit insurance fraud

- If you have a household income of less than £10,000 a year you are 2.6 times more likely to commit insurance fraud


Of the 7,000 people questioned in the ABI survey, 85% of the fraudulent claims involved the exaggeration of the value of a genuine loss with 15% of claims relating to a totally made up loss.

“Insurance fraud means that honest people and businesses throughout the UK are being punished through no fault of their own”, said Mark Burdett, the Marketing Manager for The UK’s Business Insurance Brokers, Northern Counties.

“The cost of insurance fraud is on the increase and I believe the government should be doing more to discourage fraudulent behaviour. Tougher penalties in the form of criminal prosecutions as well as highlighting the seriousness of insurance fraud could both help reduce the number of fraudulent claims and ultimately reduce what we all pay for insurance.”