Major construction firms have released a multi-lingual DVD aimed at improving health and safety awareness in the industry.
The short film by the Major Contractors Group aims to help employers communicate key health and safety messages through the most commonly used languages on UK construction sites.
It can be played in any one of 10 languages including Polish, Bulgarian, Romanian and Punjabi.
Vaughan Burnand, chief executive of Shepherd Construction, and chairman of the Major Contractors Group health and safety working group, said a key challenge in maintaining health and safety standards was ensuring good communications with the workforce.
“The construction industry needs to embrace the non-English speaking workforce, and communicate the standards that the UK market demands and, equally importantly, what they should expect to receive,” he said.
The DVD covers a wide number of issues including working at height, emergency responses and working safely with plant and vehicles.
Shelley Atkinson-Frost, director of health and safety at the Construction Confederation, said: “Contractors and others face new challenges in communicating to workers for whom English is not their first language.
“This DVD is a visual and interactive way of informing workers on the UK construction industry health and safety standards and site expectations.”
