The
Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new construction division to
help the organisation focus on reducing accidents in the sector.
Led
by HSE’s chief inspector of construction, Kevin Myers, the division will draw
together the existing construction inspectors previously dispersed throughout
the HSE’s regional structure.
Myers
said the new division will ultimately reduce construction accidents.
"The
new division will for the first time allow the deployment of HSE’s construction
resource under the direct management of the chief inspector and his team. This
will enable us to better focus our activities on achieving our ultimate
objective – a significant reduction in accidents and the causes of ill health
within the construction industry.
"We
have developed a new intervention strategy for the division, which builds upon
and complements our traditional site-based work, particularly with our incident
and complaint investigations. But we
have also made some changes to our approach and emphasis in order to maximise our
impact," he said.
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"Setting
up the new division is an important milestone in helping the construction
industry achieve the demanding targets it sets itself in support of
revitalising health and safety. The numbers of deaths, injuries and ill health
in the industry are too high and this merits a focused response from the
HSE."
