Health and Safety

The mortal danger to construction workers from silica dust is getting worse Stonemason Stuart Johnson would come home from work “absolutely covered in dust”, his wife Carol recalls. “It was just part and parcel of the job.” Stuart was unaware that the dust he was inhaling – silica – could…

Detectives investigating the Didcot Power Station collapse in which four men died have said the probe is entering its “latter stages”, as the ninth anniversary of the tragedy approaches. Coleman & Company employees Ken Cresswell, 57, Chris Huxtable, 34, John Shaw, 61, and Mick Collings, 53, died when the 10-storey…

Fifty years after the Health and Safety Executive was created, is it still fit for purpose today? When a pile of coal waste crashed down a hill onto a school and row of houses killing 116 children and 28 adults at Aberfan in October 1966, no one was prosecuted. Industrial…

While the industry tries to improve women’s PPE, other minority groups’ needs remain overlooked It took several months for Leena Begum to even visit a construction site. The apprentice feared she would have to compromise her Muslim faith by wearing the personal protective equipment (PPE) provided. Islam requires women to…

Lisa Kerford is managing director of Aptus Our industry is an inherently dangerous one, which means adhering to the highest possible health and safety standards is of paramount importance. Every day, organisations across our sector are dealing with sites, schemes and projects that require rigorous protocols to ensure tasks are…

Graeme Fox is technical director of the Building Engineering Services Association  According to data from government agency Public Health Wales, poor air quality is responsible for up to 1,400 excess deaths per 100,000 each year. Compare that with smoking, which annually accounts for 180 deaths per 100,000 of the global…

Elliott Kenton is a partner and health and safety expert at law firm Weightmans Construction firms now face higher costs for health and safety compliance following an increase in the fee for intervention (FFI). This is the mechanism by which the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) charges businesses for investigative…

Asbestos was banned 25 years ago, yet thousands are still dying as a result of its presence. CN examines the long legacy of the former go-to building material and whether enough is being done about the dangers it poses today Roofer Liam Bradley and his co-workers had just finished removing…

Richard Stockley is the managing director of health and safety consultancy RRC International The Factories Act of 1833 kickstarted a culture of health and safety in the UK, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work Act. But construction workers aren’t just risking their…

Adrian Buttress is the managing director of PermaGroup Keeping contractors safe while working on site is not just about avoiding imminent risks and injury. Long-term health problems impact all areas of construction; by being aware of the dangers, and implementing the correct safety protocols, the sector can ensure its workers…