The Health and Safety Commission - Essay Example

The Construction Summit 2001- Have the goals been achieved? Introduction A recent HSC report s that the total number of workers in the construction industry have risen from 1.68 million to 1.97 million between the years 2002 to 2004 (HSE, 04). Though this change may be a healthy one yet worries about the construction industry (which was the highest source of injuries in 2004) remain. The United Kingdom maintains one of the cleanest safety records in Europe. Yet this does not ease the task of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) that bears the daunting responsibility of maintenance. Great Britain has principally focused on the Health and Safety Commission since 1974, after the Health and Safety at Work (HSW) Act; an Act based on the belief that ‘disease leads to the cure’, hence the bodies that create risks also carried the means to ridden themselves of them (Robens, 1972). This Act introduced a goal-oriented, practical approach that paved the way for local bodies to employ new regulatory frameworks which led to the promotion of Health and Safety. The HSW Act led to the creation of two new bodies, which were: The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and The Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The HSC served to secure health, safety and the general well being of the workers whilst creating general public awareness and HSE works alongside HSC and enforces health and safety laws and regulations. Since 1974, noticeable progress has been made and has led to impressive results such as the total and complete elimination of the hazard of construction yet issues such as Construction remain unabated which keeps the situation at a standstill. Management and workers need to be made aware of the impending risks of construction. In an effort to create concrete and substantial targets the government along with HSC launched the ‘Revitalising health and safety strategy’ in 2000. This was to directly highlight the occupational hazard in the work place. After the introduction of this strategy, the Construction summit took place on 27th February 2001, led by the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott. The poor record of care and safety in the construction sector led to the realisation that measures needed to be taken to reform the state of affairs. The industry was obliged to commit to a change in performance that would practically be demonstrated. The industry resorted to proposing the following targets that would eventually result in reducing: The rate of incidence in terms of the fatalities and major injuries by 40% in the years 2004/5 as well as towards 66% by the years 2009/10; The rate of incidence in terms of cases of work-related ill health up to 20% by the years 2004/5 and about 50% by the years 2009/10; Lastly, the number of working days that are basically lost from the work related injuries as well as ill health up to 20% by the years 2004/5 and towards the scale of 50% by the years 2009/10. The intention behind this summit was to, catch the attention of the higher officials of the Construction Industry and to engage them in matters of health and safety which were a serious cause of concern for the work force. The government was encouraged to propose and adopt their own plans of dealing with matters that were under their direct control. By joining up with the government, HSC believed, it would achieve progressive results. HSC was also provided with routine reports following the progress or lack of any - in construction. Factors Contributing to Health and Safety Problems Since the construction industry is not free from danger, other countries such as America also need to be monitored. Reports soon began to surafce of on-the-spot injuries and fatalities (Cable, 06). Compared to the U.S.A, the state of construction workers in Britain, is still much better. Yyet HSC still highlighted some core issues of health and safety that were being faced, which were: a)major injuries and fatalities, and b)work related ill-health; c)working days lost due to work-related injury and ill health Major injuries and Fatalities: Some of the commonly faced injuries by workers of recent are, falling from heights, being hit by moving vehicles and being struck by moving or falling objects. By 2004/05, these three types of fatal injuries together accounted for nearly 61% of all fatal injuries (HSE, 05). However the real trouble is with legislation which remains solution-less for these problems. Since they are not machine based in their tracks there is the constant issue of error. A priority programmes listed in the 2003/2004 annual report lists ‘falls from heights’ and ‘slips and trips’ among their top priorities. This further adds a burden on HSC. However, improvements have found a way to be made, as statistics of falling people, people being struck by moving vehicles and objects as well as those who tripped and slipped, which can be observed by the table provided: The death tolls that were the direct result of falling from heightx decreased by 2004/05 from 68 to 53. This returns us to the level observed in 2002/03 and a downward trend since the years 1997/98 (HSC, 05). The amount of workers fatally injured as a result of being struck by moving vehicles fell in 2004/05, from 44 to 35, and the victims of moving cars or objects increased from 28 to 46 (HSC, 05). The injuries classified as Major are the ones that cause a worker’s absence for atleast three days. The most common major injuries is slipping and tripping, the result of 36% of the major accidents. By the years 2004/2005 a decrease of 5% of slipping and tripping accidents took place. Major injuries caused while handling, lifting or carrying increased to 12% in 2004/05, but a decrease in the number of major injuries that were a result of falling from a height in 2004/05 went from 3896 to 3783. Out of these, 59% were the result of falling from a height that was lesser than 2 metres. A reported 3863 major injuries were caused because of being struck by a moving or falling object in 2004/05, which was a decrease from 3939 in 2003/04 (HSC, 05). The findings by the HSC are detailed in the table below (2004/2005): Reference to this chart, one can say with a fair degree of certainity that no great changes have been made to improve the major fatalities and major injury departments in the last ten years. This is proof of the humn error of the the Health and Safety Commision. Work related ill-health Besides accidents, construction has a history of illnesses that are solely work-related, some of which are: Back ache, sprains and strains, eye injuries,fatigue and severe stress also cause many companies their workers almost every day. According to the Survey (04/05), Self-reported Work-related Illnesses (SWI) were reported by 2 million people. Later, by the year 2002/2003 an increase in work related illnesses was noticed from 2 million to 2.2 million people (reported). There may be awareness about work related injuries yet diseases are a far greater cause of concern than accidents in consruction. Occupational health figures –estimated rate of self-reported illnesses Nearly three-quarters of the reported cases, were cases of musculoskeleton disorders like back aches, upper limb disorders, or stress, depression and anxiety. Other cases were of asthma, dermititis, infections and deafness. Besides these, yearly thousands of people die as a result of exposure to cancer-causing elements. Asbestos was banned in 1987, because of its carcinogenic nature, and its effects still linger on even now. Additionally, minor illnesses and disorders are a great source of nuisance to the work force. Consistent aches and strains remain an issue. A high percentage of Worker Absenteeism is noticed because of back aches and other musculoskleton disorders. Sprains and strains are also a common occurrences which is the direct result of heavy equipment, lifting , carrying, and overstretching. In HSC’s report published in 2003, workplace stress managed to prove itself as a greater source of workers suffering rather than musculoskeletal disorders. Stress was not be taken lightly, as its has severe symptoms, some of which stretch from fever, diarrhea, insomnia, and fatigue. Any form of stress can bed-ridden a worker who may find themselves to have to be away from work for a long time. In some extreme cases, stress has even led to the death of the individual. Companies that ended up losing revenue due to its ill workers decded it was time they came up with a cure for these disorders. This is where Management comes in- which educates its workers on safe-lifting techniques, toolbox talks and general safety topic cards that are a discussed topic during daily pre-work meetings (Vi, 2000). It creates a comforting environment for the worker who may ask for help if an object is difficult for them to lift or move. Workers are also encouraged to stretch before they begin work with or lift heavy objects. Workers who work in trenches, suffer serious health hazards. The limited space is unfit for workers and it puts him/her at a great risk of being struck by objects and of being caught in cave-ins. In 2004 it was reported that 39 construction workers died in excavation or trenching cave-ins and about 44 construction workers died the year before that in the same manner (Boom, ‘Trenching is a dangerous and dirty business’). The risks of trenching can be reduced if ample sloping or shoring were provided to the workers (Boom, ‘Trenching’). Similarly, eye injuries add to the list of issues faced in construction. Nails, grinding dust, insulation fibers, welding fumes are just about some of the dangers posed to construction workers. Though many company make it mandatory on their workers to have to wear safety glasses, yet, 6,650 cases of lost-time eye injuries in construction were reported in 2004 (Health &Safety Statistics, 05). Lost Work days Illnesses are such a major factor affecting workers that The Construction industry lost about 35 million working days in 2004/2005, meaning 1.5 day per worker. Hence a total of 28 million days were lost as a result of work-related ill health and 7 million was caused by workplace injury (Health and Safety Statistics, 2004/2005). One can understand this alarming situation better by observing the Health and Safety statistics. In 2004/05, over-3-day injuries remained which were a result of handling, lifting or carrying that decreased by 6% and now accounted for 42% of all over 3 day injuries, being the most common kind of over 3 day injury. There were a total of 27,359 over 3 day injuries that were caused by slipping and tripping in 2004/05, this was a decrease of 12% as compared to 2003/04. This change is the first marked decrease in the 9 year term. A decrease in the number of over 3 day injuries as a result of being hit by a moving or falling object fell in 2004/05 from 15,024 to the figure of 14,043. This accounted for 12% of all over 3 day injuries. The number of over 3 day injuries, maintained itself, (which was the result of being struck by something fixed or stationary) fell by 2004/05. Though, many of the staistics are proof of a positive change, this still does not tackle with the main issue of means to avoid these injuries. Most inuries in Consctruction could easily be avoided if a proper system of inspection and monitoring were followed with emphasis of Health and Safety. This would eventually result in a more productive workforce. Issues of Health and Safety problems in an industry like construction are not just minor obstacles in everyday practice but are also safety concerns for many others. Cases have come to surface of a worker being run over by a bulldozer, while the driver fell asleep behind the wheel. Other times workers are known to have accidentally let a piece of equipment fall down. The government which deserves some appreciation has taken steps to ensure Health and Safety yet still there remains the need for more drastic, more conscious measures. There is the dire need of monitoring on the part of the government to maintain and further enhance these standards. How far have Legislations and Safety Measures succeeded? Since the creation of HSC in 1974 to now, a slow but consistent change has been observed in the by and large awareness of the industry’s health and safety issues. This phenomenon could be the result of constant pressure from the public and the concerned parties, which eventually led to the realization that absentee workers and their legal expenses would be greatly reduced if more serious Health and Safety reforms were taken. In 1974 some of the problems HSC was tackling were: Vinyl chloride coding Lead code of practice Dust Asbestos and Fire precautions; Compared to this, the priority programme of 2004/2005 is proof of the HSC’s improvement. This has led to banning Asbestos - from almost all construction sites. Lead and vinyl chlorides use has been greatly reduced, and conflagrations chances at construction sites are extremely low. At present HSC’s top priorities are cases of: Falling from heights Workplace transport Musculoskeletal disorders Work related stress Slips and trips and Health services. At this point, we can safely conclude that the HSC, LA’s legislations have had a beneficial influence on safety standards of the construction industry; and the problems that the industry now faces are mostly worker-based. Individual meaning, based on the result of the capability and responsibility of the worker. To tackle these problems the only solution is to educate the workers. Between the timeframe of 1986 and 1996 legislation addressed workplace risks a great deal. Not just merely responding to directives deriving from Europe, but overall wider efforts to produce regulations that would include a larger sphere of work, which would include the risks of exposure to hazardous substances. Besides these rules covering different and relatively new areas such as manual handling, and VDU work were also take into consideration. The responsibility of ensuring that the rules and regulations shall be implemented lies with the HSE and the Labour Authorities. The LA’s have jurisdictions over non-industrial premises, but the responsibility of overseeing and inspecting construction sites lies solely with HSC and the governing body. The existing enforcement policy states, all measures carried out by inspectors should be mindful to the risk of health and safety; and targeted principally where hazards are least well controlled. They should be regular, and transparent. Inspectors establish regular contact with the workers and management they are supervising. In such close proximity they are capable of providing council to those responsible. Aside from the constructive position of the inspectors, the HSW introduced preventative enforcement notices that were designed to remove the risk before it could harm. In 1976 HCE issued 7334 notices and held 1200 prosecutions, but by 2002/2003 the amount of notices issued had risen to 13263, while 1688 prosecutions took place for various breaches. This type of enforcement did not result in making any difference to the level of safety in construction; it generally decreased the cooperation of the people involved. Slowly but surely, the concept of enforcement is redefining itself from re-active measures - that are taken in response to an injury or accident that takes place, towards planned, expected and decisive action aimed to give one a long-term effect. Another strategy for creating awareness in the construction industry is by getting employees, employers and all involved parties engaged in promoting health and safety. The Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 was established with the intention of creating a system by which safety representatives would be chosen by trade unions, resulting in greater participation of the workers. Another landmark is the establishment of a safety advisory council. In 2004, this council was recharged to play an improved role in raising the standard of Safety in the construction industry. Moreover, printing and distribution of leaflets and pamphlets amongst the workers and the accessibility of a full time advisory service has led to a general awareness in the workers. Since the 1990s, the Health and Safety program is less dependent on legislation. More work is being carried out to amend and develop the legislations already made. In 2005, the European Union was setting up a plan to implement a Temporary Work at Height Directive that aims to reduce injuries caused by falls from heights. The question at hand then is: how far have the Health and Safety Commission of the United Kingdom been victorious in implementing measures that would reduce risks in the construction industry? Statistics presented throughout this essay show that an improvement has been made; rates of fatal or major injuries have been reduced, according to the Health and Safety Statistics Report (2004/2005) critical injuries from 1999/2000 to 2004/05 have reduced to around nearly 24%. When comparing rates of over-3-day injury, there has been a reduction of around 15% across all industries between 1999/2000 and 2004/05. In construction the rate has dropped by an impressive figure of 35%. These statistics propose that the rejuvenated target aim of reducing the incidence rate of work-related ill health by 10% from 1999/2000, and number of days lost per worker due to work related injury and ill health by 15% from 2000-2, are in the process of being achieved. Conclusion The aims of the Construction Summit of 2001, though somewhat idealistic, are still achievable. By 2010, the construction industry expects to improve its figure of work-related illnesses by 20%, its rate of fatalaties and major injuries by 10%, and the amount of absents by 30%. These goals can be achieved by regular effort. Nowadays with so much awareness and human rights, accidents are not taken lightly and companiues/ organisations are held respoisble and accountable for them. Accidents etc have the ability to completely tarnish an organiations reputation. From 2000, the industrtial sector has been faced public and political pressure of increased corporate and individual accountability (HSC, 2005). Pressures have led to the birth of greater safety measures- which is not fulfilled lead to fines and even imprisonment.In such cases, it is incumbent for the industry to adapt itself to the needs and demands of the people. Which it has so. At present one cannot for certainm prophesis whether the relevant changes are temporary or here to stay but one thing can be said for certain, they are a step, a step rtaken in the right diretion. From here on the situation is only to improve, not worsen for workers rights are only strengthening with time and governments worldwide feel responisble for their citizens and their health, which is jepordised can lead to an international bad image. References Books (1) Jones, R and Silicosis, Roy (1936). ‘An Occupational Hazard’. Labour information Bul. 3, 1 (2) Irving CW and Phillip Drinker, (1935) ‘Industrial Medicine’, National Medical Book Co., New York, (3) McCollum D.V (2001)’Construction Safety Planning’ John Wiley & Sons, New York (4) Perezgonzalez J. (1996) ‘Construction Safety Management, A systems approach (Revised Edition) Lulu Press Inc.: New York (5) Selye, H (1967) ‘The Stress of Life’ (revised Edition) McGraw-Hill Co.: New York Journal Articles (6) Cable J. 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