Industry warned of risks with vehicles and lifting.

The theme of the 4th day of Construction Safety Week (Thursday 24th) is around ‘Vehicle Risk and Safety in Lifting Operations’ with the slogan ‘Always look, listen and signal’.

According to the HSA, an average of twenty people are killed at Irish workplaces following interactions with vehicles. The law requires that pedestrians and vehicles must co-exist safely both in indoor and outdoor places of work. Where vehicles are operating, the vulnerable group may be co-workers, visitors or members of the public. In order to protect pedestrians, vehicle travel routes should be clearly delineated, with enough clearance space between persons and vehicles.

According to the European Commission Transportation Department “it has been estimated that up to 25% of accidents involving trucks can be attributable to inadequate cargo securing”. Cargo that is improperly secured can cause severe accidents, which may lead to the loss of lives, the loss of vehicles, the loss of cargo, or cause environmental damage. In recognition of the importance of safe loading, unloading and transportation, a video recording was undertaken in conjunction with the HSA, Gills Driving School, Coffey Group, Ward & Burke, EPS, Murphy and Glan Agua, which outlines best practice for load securing and is available to view at: www.cif.ie/safety-week

Dermot Carey, Director Safety and Training, Construction Industry Federation (CIF) said:

“According to the Health and Safety Authority, an average of twenty persons are killed at Irish workplaces following interactions with vehicles. On construction sites, the principle issue is the separation of vehicles and pedestrians and the ability of drivers/plant operators to see those operating in their nearby vicinity. Furthermore, fatalities have resulted from the loading, transportation and unloading of materials and equipment”.

Deirdre Sinnott McFeat, Senior Inspector Transport Safety with the HSA said:

“We urge construction companies to do a risk inventory of all vehicle related activities on site and ensure that appropriate controls are in place to protect construction workers, delivery drivers and members of the public from construction related vehicle risks. A full suite of resources are available at www.vehiclesatwork.ie, www.loadsafe.ie and www.drivingforwork.ie to help companies better understand and effectively manage the risks”

Construction Safety Week is an initiative of the Construction Safety Partnership Advisory Committee (CSPAC) and is administered by the CIF. The CSPAC is a grouping of all the main stakeholders in the construction sector in Ireland, namely Employers, Unions, State Bodies (in conjunction with the Health & Safety Authority) and Professional Bodies.

Our collective mission for Construction Safety Week 2019 is to partner together to;

• Eliminate accidents and incidents on construction sites in Ireland.
• Promote a healthy culture of sharing lessons learned and best practice case studies in safety, health and wellbeing.
• Reflect on the positive initiatives taken and celebrate achievements in good safety performance, whilst appreciating the potential consequences of failing to act responsibly in terms of safety and health.
• Continue to work with colleagues and others to strengthen the construction industry’s safety and wellbeing culture.

“Construction Safety Week is an important event for Kirby.  It gives us the opportunity to focus on the issues and hazards to health, safety and wellbeing to anyone impacted by our activities and to collectively build on existing control measures to drive continuous improvement.

One of the benefits of Construction Safety Week is that it brings the whole industry together with an intent of improving standards throughout the industry.

We are delighted to partner with the CIF because Kirby sees this as a very important initiative and it resonates with our company’s ethos.

As supporters of the initiative for many years, we decided to further demonstrate our support by sponsoring Construction Safety Week 2019.”

Kirby, Construction Safety Week Sponsors

“Keating is a proud sponsor of Construction Safety Week 2019 demonstrating our commitment to delivering continued safety culture improvements across the construction sector.

At Keating, Safety, Health and Wellbeing is our overriding priority and ranks above all else; it is the core value of our business. We take great pride in our excellent track record and continuously strive for improved safety performance.

“While Safety, Health and Wellbeing is at the forefront in all we do, Construction Safety Week is a timely opportunity for everyone within the industry to refocus on the key messages of safety week. It presents the industry as a whole the opportunity to collaborate, sharing their experiences, knowledge and insights to help eliminate potential risks throughout the sector ensuring everyone goes home safe and healthy to their families not just this week but every day!”

Ian Lynch, Head of Safety, Health and Wellbeing at Keating

Construction Safety Week 2019 is sponsored by Walls Construction, Collen Construction, SSE Airtricity, Irish Water, Hilti, IOSH, Keating Construction, Gas Networks Ireland, Kirby Group Engineering and ESB Networks.

For more information, see: www.cif.ie/safety-week , check out activity on @CIF_ireland or by using #CIFSafety19