A new forum has been set up to encourage mutual recognition of health and safety competence schemes

The Safety Schemes in Procurement Competence Forum aims to drive up health and safety standards while driving down the costs of prequalification through establishing standard “deemed to satisfy” criteria.

The forum aims to avoid the duplication of effort that results in contractors having to fill in assessments from a number of different safety scheme operators.

Forum founder members are: Constructionline, the Contractors’ Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS), ExOr Management Services and the National House-Building Council Safety Scheme.

The forum is also actively supported by the Construction Clients’ Group, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Specialist Engineering Contractors’ Group (SEC), the Construction Industry Council, the National Specialist Contractors Council and the UK Contractors Group.

  • The 2008 Riddor-reportable accident statistics, collected by the JIB as part of the ECA’s Zap initiative, show a further major improvement in the rate of reportable accidents among ECA firms.

There were no reported fatalities to employees in 2008 and the rate of major accidents has fallen by over 70% since the launch of the Zap initiative in 2001.

There has been a near-50% fall in all Riddor-reportable accidents since 2001.

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor