Your life in his hands

Seventy deaths a year, thousands seriously injured and thousands more hurt. Work in this sector and you are more likely to be killed then working in any other area. These are the grim statistics that construction has grown used to hearing over recent years. Ask anyone in the industry and they all say safety is paramount, but they will also add in the same breath accidents happen.

These figures and paradoxes are a constant headache for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and its new chief inspector of construction, Stephen Williams. One death is always too many, but statistics show that there has not really been a dramatic drop in the number of injuries. For example major injuries fell just 12% in 2003/04.

Maybe the problem lies with the HSE itself? Last year CM questioned whether it was really worth £219m a year and asked whether 140 inspectors were really enough to inspect half a million building sites and around 2 million workers. Others accuse the HSE of running scared of liability, providing a poor advice line and challenged whether it added any value to construction.

Falling (In a good way)

Williams is fully aware of the statistics and criticisms, but believes the HSE is moving in the right direction. He says advice has improved and the regulator is equally frank about highlighting both good and bad practice. More resources will be poured in, which means more inspectors. But he adds industry has to take responsibility.

He argues: “The figures are high, but I am pleased to see that the injury rates are coming down. That shows progress by the regulator in terms of explaining the problems, and by the industry itself.

“Industry needs to own the problem and the best in industry are owning the problem. That will really drive improvements in health and safety. Industry has a got a long way to go to meet its own targets.”

Indeed it does. Back in 2001, construction pledged to hit some ambitious targets for reducing deaths and major injuries (40% by 2005 and 66% by 2010) and a significant drop in work-related injury and ill health - 50% by 2009/10.

Statistics show a slight improvement but still some alarming figures. if you look at the number of people killed for every 100,000 workers, it is down 41%, but a third of all worker fatalities happen in construction. The rate of major injuries also fell 6% in 2003/4. What this year’s health and safety summit also revealed was that around 96,000 people whose current or most recent job was in construction suffered an illness that was caused or made worse by the job.

Williams says construction has to change its culture. Workers need to understand what causes accidents and how to resolve them in a practical way. It’s also about having a shared agenda, which he sweetly puts as “engaging hearts and minds” as opposed to the you-will-do-it-like-this approach.

This message appears to be getting through to the larger companies and, according to the TUC, those aged under 40. Unfortunately it appears to not even register with some of the small and medium-sized companies. Williams disagrees: “I think it’s a generalisation to say that the smaller companies are not doing it as well. One can forget that the small companies spend a long time working on large sites. There’s good and bad at each level.”

I like the straightforward can-do approach of the industry and the attitude of the majority

Stephen Williams, HSE

Williams wants to stay in post long enough to “make a difference”. He adds: “I like the straightforward can-do approach of the industry as well as the attitude of the vast majority that can see that health and safety really matters and needs to be properly addressed.”

His affection for health and safety began in 1977, when he was convinced he could make a difference when he became an inspector. It does sound a little clichéd, but you get the feeling that Williams is genuine when he says it.

He was also responsible for finalising the CDM regulations more than a decade ago and wants to see how they are holding up. The regulations are currently under review. For him that period back in the 1990s was truly groundbreaking. “And I mean that. It was the first time of putting duties on clients, designers in an explicit way.”

Williams aims to take forward the occupational health agenda which is a major cause of injury and disease. He wants staff to challenge unsafe practices on site and wants more done to ensure that the health and safety agenda is driven and built into degree, professional and training courses.

Williams is also championing the HSE’s strategic delivery plan, which aims to reduce the incidence of work related fatal and major injuries. Construction features heavily in these plans that include a major publicity campaign on slips and trips and implementing Work at Height regulations. There are also a raft of targets that aim for a 3% reduction in the incidence of work-related fatal and minor injuries and to cut the number of days lost to injuries and ill health 9% by 2007/08.

These areas fascinate him, proving that you can’t take the inspector out of the man. Watch out for a man with a passing resemblance to Donald Trump on a bike, who is more than happy to halt work and haul people off site when he spots bad practice.

Small and medium is the message

However industry’s view on inspections is still mixed. Those who he dubs the “best in class” regard them as a good source of information and help to manage their business properly. Others see it as an avenue of confrontation. Last month a female inspector was verbally abused and this matter has now been reported to the police. The HSE takes these incidents very seriously. “We need to understand what the conditions were on site to get such abuse,” he says. But he stresses incidents like these are minimal and should not detract from the clear majority of workers who allow inspectors to just do their job.

Williams just wants to get down to his. The first few weeks have been spent meeting staff, stakeholders and attending meetings and conferences. He’s fully aware of the challenges the role brings in and he wants to get stuck in. But if he could achieve one thing in the first year, what would it be?

After a brief pause he answers: “It’s really getting the cultural message across to the small and medium-sized enterprises. That will be the biggest challenge for us all but it will also be our biggest success.” Let’s hope it happens.