Health and Safety Executive Health and Safety Executive Dealing with Construction Health Risks – A Regulators Role Clare Forshaw Construction Sector -

Health and Safety Executive

Health and Safety Executive

Dealing with Construction Health Risks – A Regulators Role

Clare Forshaw

Construction Sector - Health Risk Management Unit

What’s the problem ?

• Workplace ill health kills and ruins lives in the construction industry. Statistics indicate that a construction worker is at least 100 times more likely to die from disease caused or made worse by their work as they are from a fatal accident.

From CONIAC Health Risks Working Group Position paper on health

risks in construction ( NOV 2011)

What’s the problem ?

Number of construction safety related fatalities 2012 / 2013 :

39

What’s the problem

Estimated number of construction asbestos

related fatalities each year:

>2500

The scale of the problem

Estimated number of construction silica

related fatalities each year:

500

The scale of the problem

Number of construction painter and decorator trade related cancer deaths in 2005

254

The scale of the problem

Number of construction related cancer deaths from exposure to diesel engine exhaust emissions in 2005

234

The scale of the problem

Number of construction days lost due to safety related issues 2011 / 2012: 0.6 million

Number of construction days lost due to health related issues 2011 / 2012: 1.7 million

The scale of the problem

74000 cases of ill-health in 2011-12

31000 of which are newly reported

Accident v Ill Health Fatals

Challenges

• Transient workforce

• Transient worksites

• Often not ‘employed’

• Complicated supply chain

• Variety of health risk exposures

• Continuous and accessible OH provision

HSE’s Role

• Enforcement

• Engagement• CONIAC & Health Risk Working Group• Dust Partnership• Supply Chain Projects

• Evidence• Health Risk Management Maturity Index• Painter and Decorators• DEEE

Enforcement: Health Inspection Initiative

• 2 week focus on health interventions in June

• Ongoing focus throughout next few years workplan

• Operational guidance detailing enforcement expectations on leading health risk issues

Engagement: CONIAC Health Risks WG

• Sub Group of the main CONIAC committee

• Established ‘position paper’ on health risks in construction

• Guidance for Employer on ‘demystifying’ – What is Occupational Health• What you need to do to comply with the law on risk

management• Role of employer – ‘Intelligent Customer’

Engagement: Construction Dust Partnership

Construction Dust Partnership

• “To raise awareness within the construction industry about lung diseases related to hazardous workplace dust and to promote good practice to prevent these diseases, particularly for those undertaking high risk tasks”

Engagement: Paving Road & Highways Supply Chain Project

• Work with representatives from across the construction supply chain

• Address issues of relevance and importance to the sector

• Ensure those who can influencehealth risks understandand are able to carry outtheir role

PRH Project – Working Groups

• Exposure Monitoring & Health Surveillance

• Risk Matrix

• Level playing field & Procurement

Evidence

• Cutting roof tile silica exposure

• Hazardous substance exposures

• Woodworking exposures

• Development of a new tool to assessmaturity in managing health risks

• Do we have the right information on current exposures ie painters & decorators, DEEE

What employers should be doing

• There is a need for ‘ownership’ of the problem

• Education!

• Engagement, Collaboration

• Duty as employer, Duty under CDM Regs

• Supply Chain

Role of OH professionals

• Education!

• Demystify

• Clarity of services being provided

• Engagement – with dutyholder, workers and other health professionals

Health v Wellbeing

V

Key Health Messages

Who does what?

• ‘Everyone has a role to play’

Assess

• ‘Manage risks not lifestyles’

Control

• ‘Ill-health can be prevented’

Review

• ‘Control the risks not the symptoms’

Opportunities

• Increased awareness

• Increased engagement

• Success in safety

• Other initiatives e.g. DH Responsibility Deal

• Working together

Health and Safety Executive

Health and Safety Executive

Thank you for listening

Any questions……