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News Release from: Federation of Master Builders (FMB) | Subject: How to reduce deaths on construction sites
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 27 September 2007
How to reduce deaths on construction
sites
Government needs to tackle the grey economy to reduce deaths on construction sites says Federation of Master Builders.
Following the Construction Safety Summit on 17 September, chaired by Peter Hain MP, Secretary of State for Works and Pensions, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) is warning that the Government needs to tackle the grey economy in the construction sector if it wants to reduce the number of accidents and deaths on construction sites Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at the FMB says, "FMB is committed to the highest standards of health safety but with over a 150,000 registered construction firms and only 24,00 affiliated to any recognized trade body there is an urgent need to get more builders to join a trade body such as the FMB to help improve health and safety standards in the sector"
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 27 Jun 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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"If VAT on repairs and maintenance were to be reduced from 17.5% to 5% this would help eliminate the cowboy builders".
FMB is also urging the Government to:.
* Embed health and safety training into daily work practice.
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The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has warmly welcomed the announcement by Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Andrew Smith, to provide £3 million in funding for the Worker Safety Advisers.
FMB State of Trade Survey
The Federation of Master Builders' (FMB) State of Trade survey for the third quarter of 2003 shows builders workloads continue to rise.
All too often health and safety training is regarded as an add on to daily work rather than an integral part of daily practice within the world of work.
FMB wants to explore with the Government ways in which health and safety could be made to work more effectively using existing drivers and delivery mechanisms such as Construction Skills, CIS etc * Make all HSE health and safety training promotional material freely available.
To reach a wider audience DVDs and videos should be made freely available to everyone and downloadable from the FMB website.
FMB wants to explore the possibilities of closer links with HSE Publications with a view to including some of their literature in our membership packs.
Such a move would help to change cultural behaviors.
* Increase funding for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Government funding for the HSE needs to be increased to ensure that new health and safety legislation is complied with.
The new Construction and Design Management Regulations, which came in force in April 2007, are being undermined by the Government's refusal to invest in more Health and Safety Executive inspectors to police the new rules and ensure proper safety standards are maintained.
The number of inspectors has been in decline since 2002 and further cuts are being planned.
Investing more money in inspectors will save lives and deter cowboy contractors.
Consideration also needs to be given to resurrecting the Worker Safety Advisor scheme.
Third party advisors often have a more immediate effect on health and safety practices than site mangers.
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