Do you care? Are you aware? Safety 98 : conference proceedings : Park Thistle Hotel, Cardiff, 22-24 October 1998

129 Pages·2011·5.237 MB·English

THE INSTITUTION OF
CIVIL ENGINEERS
INCORPORATED ENGINEERS
& ENGINEERING TECHNICIANS
NATIONAL CONFERENCE 1998
Do You Care ?
Are You Aware ? Safety 98
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
Park Thistle Hotel, Cardiff
22 - 24 October 1998
ORGANISED BY :- The Institution of Civil Engineers
South Wales Association, Incorporated Engineers and Technicians Group
Published by ICE Publishing, 40 Marsh Wall, London E14 9TP.
Distributors for ICE Publishing books are
USA:Publishers Storage and Shipping Corp., 46 Development Road,
Fitchburg, MA 01420
www.icevirtuallibrary.com
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-0-7277-4533-0
© Thomas Telford Limited 2011
ICE Publishing is a division of Thomas Telford Ltd, a wholly-
owned subsidiary of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).
All rights, including translation, reserved. Except as
permitted by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988,
no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without
the prior written permission of the Publisher, ICE
Publishing, 40 Marsh Wall, London E14 9TP.
This book is published on the understanding that the author is
solely responsible for the statements made and opinions
expressed in it and that its publication does not necessarily
imply that such statements and/or opinions are or reflect the
views or opinions of the publishers. Whilst every effort has
been made to ensure that the statements made and the
opinions expressed in this publication provide a safe and
accurate guide, no liability or responsibility can be accepted in
this respect by the author or publishers.
Do You Care ?
Are You Aware ? Safety 98
Programme for Friday 23 October 1998
08:30-09:00 Day Delegates Registration Wedgewood Suite Reception
08:50 Re-opening of Trade Exhibition by Chairman. Whitehall Suite
09:00-09:15 Civic Welcome and official Opening. Princes Suite
Lord Mayor of Cardiff
09:15-09:30 Preview of Morning. K. Thomas (Director of
Highways - Welsh Office)
09:30-10:10 Session 1 - If you Dice with Death TAllen (H.M. Inspector
Someone's number could be Up ! of Health And Safety)
10:10-10:50 Session 2 - Muck, Microbes and S. Stiff (VHE Construction)
Magic Mushrooms.
10:50-11:10 Morning Coffee Whitehall Suite
11:10-11:50 Session 3 - Health and Safety, A Cultural Conflict. S^ummerhayes (U.G.CJSXtd.)
11:50-12:30 Session 4 - Safe by Design. C. Jofeh (Ove Arup
and Partners)
12:30-13:45 Buffet Lunch Duchess and Whitehall Suite
13:45-13:55 Preview of Afternoon. K. Thomas (Director of
Highways - Welsh Office)
13:55-14:30 Session 5 - Construction industry and DJVlathias (Environment
the Environment. Agency)
14:30-15:00 Session 6 - Safe Work In Confined Spaces D. Gelder (Confined Spaces
(Confined Spaces Regulations 1997) Training Services Ltd.)
15:00-15:20 Afternoon Tea Whitehall Suite
15:20-15:50 Session 7 - Maintenance and Improvement of R.Daly (Gwent Consultancy)
High Speed Roads - Traffic management and
Safety Considerations.
15:50-16:00 Presentation to the best Exhibitor. Princes Suite
16:00-16:30 Question Time & Review of Days Events. K. Thomas and All speakers
16:30-16:40 Close of Conference. BIET Chairman
16:40-17:00 Presidential Address. President Elect.

PAPER 1
Do You care ?
Are You Aware ? Safety 98
If you Dice with Death
Someone's number could be Up !
Presented by
T. Allen
(H.M.Inspector of Health and Safety)
1

PAPER 1
IF YOU DICE WITH DEATH, SOMEONE'S NUMBER COULD BE UP
Paper by Trevor Allan, HM Principal Inspector of Health and Safety
Trevor Allan joined the Health and Safety Executive as a Factory Inspector in 1975 and has since spent
most of his career inspecting premises in London, including 5V£ years inspecting construction sites during
the mid SOs. After a short spell in HSE's Risk Assessment Policy Unit, he was promoted to Principal
Inspector, returned to construction and is currently working in HSE's Construction National Interest Group,
dealing with operational issues.
IF YOU DICE WITH DEATH, SOMEONE'S NUMBER COULD BE UP
The rather flippant title of this paper hides a more serious issue: that of the continuing toll of fatal accidents
in the construction industry. This paper seeks to explain how design professionals, and civil engineers in
particular, can reduce this suffering and change the reputation of the industry as the sector with the second
highest risk of any in the UK. It is perhaps useful to split the issue into five specific, but interlinked, topics
in a way which I hope will enable you to see how, as individuals, you can contribute towards improving
health and safety in construction. The topics which I will discuss are:
1. HSE's view on the performance of the industry;
2. HSE's plan of work for construction;
3. The implications for design professionals of the recent introduction
of the Construction (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1996 (CHSWR);
4. Progress with the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 1994 (CDM);
5. What professionals can and must do.
Note that the last item is not entirely optional, simply because designers have specific duties under CDM
which they must carry out; it is the means by which they discharge those duties which can provide a choice
of options.
Headline statistics can sometimes be misleading if taken on their own. For instance, we now know that the
number of fatal accidents in the UK this year (76) has significantly reduced from last year's disturbing
figure of 90, and is now more in line with the downward trend of the last few years. It is unlikely that
overall working conditions in the industry worsened by more than 10% one year, only to improve by the
same amount in the next. There will always be fluctuations in the numbers of fatalities and other accidents
because there is a very fine dividing line between circumstances which can result in a fatal (or other)
accident and those in which no injury occurs at all. Very minor changes in circumstances can mean all the
difference between life and death. Most accidents are the result of a combination of things going wrong.
We often hear of the injured party being blamed for the accident: "If he had been more careful, the accident
2

PAPER 1
wouldn't have happened". Human error is bound to be a contributor in the majority of accidents, but it is
only one contribution - there are usually other factors over which we can exert more control. The main
factor is risk. This is why failure to control risk is "dicing with death". It is obvious, but still worth
emphasising, that fatal accidents are irreversible; the victims get no benefit from any compensation, and no
amount of money can truly compensate for the loss to their families. In addition, there will be costs to the
industry, both direct (eg, as the result of delays) and indirect (such as the loss of irreplaceable skills - there
is a continual shortage of skilled trades within the construction sector).
The reason for the emphasis on fatal accidents is that they are 100% reported rather than the 40% reporting
which is the suspected rate for all accidents in construction. Even so, over time, all accident statistics can
give a clear indication of the type of circumstances which give rise to accidents and where effort is required
to reduce them:
a. The major cause of fatal and major injuries is falls from height. If all fall accidents could
be prevented in construction, the total number of these accidents would halve. Transport
accidents also play a major part in fatal and major injuries;
b. When "three day injuries" are considered, manual handling stands out as the main cause.
So, if you want to stop people from dying, then you prevent falls; if you want to reduce lost time accidents,
you reduce handling. It is interesting that, despite the rise in fatals and major accidents last year, the pattern
was exactly the same as that shown by the long term figures.
Not surprisingly then, HSE's construction plan includes:
a. a five year campaign on falls from height:
b. a three year campaign on transport;
c. a Millennium challenge (the Working Well Together campaign) in partnership with
industry, which will involve a public commitment to reduce accidents and ill-health in
construction, and will include campaigns on manual handling and improved welfare.
It is not a coincidence that CHSWR lays great emphasis on welfare, transport and falls from height. In
contrast to the earlier legislation it repealed, it deals with falls in a generic sense, based on risk and a
hierarchy of control measures, viz (in descending order of merit):
a. use a scaffold or other working platform,
b. use personal suspension equipment,
3