Laying foundations for better health and safety in construction
Chris Dyer examines the findings of the National Audit Office on the HSE's efforts to improve health and safety in the construction industry
It is almost three and a half years since Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott summoned senior members of the construction industry to a health and safety summit meeting and warned them: "This is the final opportunity for the industry to have a major shift in attitude and approach, and to turn around its culture and its performance."
Progress since then has, on the face of it, been slight, and now a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) says that the industry and the government could be doing more to improve health and safety in construction1.
The HSE prioritised the construction industry for action in its strategic plan for 2001/04 (see HSC strategic plan 2001/04) and in April 2002, it set up a new operational division to deliver this priority programme.
