Construction Safety

0:00Keeping workers safe around moving machinery is one of the biggest challenges facing the construction industry. An all-island people planned safe separation campaign is underway following 25 construction-related deaths involving plant machinery or vehicles between 2016 and last year. Joining me to discuss the campaign and more besides is Joanne Tracy, the Southern Regional Director of the CAF, the Construction Industry Federation. Joanne, thank you so much for being with us this morning. Thanks, Alan. Thanks for having me. This campaign on the face would seem so crucial and much needed because it's focused on something very fundamental, keeping people and moving plant safely separated. Why is this such an important issue for the construction industry? Well, look, as you know, Alan, first of all, as you've highlighted already, the people of plant-based separation campaign is essentially targeted at making sure that everybody goes home from their construction sites safely every day. Construction sites are busy, they're

1:00high-risk environments for workers and machinery of and operation, like in close proximity. So the safe separation of people and plant is a major priority for the industry and it's one of the most important challenges on construction sites. At least of all, as you've highlighted due to the number of fatalities and serious injuries that we see and have seen over the last 10 years. The campaign is about focusing attention on one of the sectors, most persistent safety challenges. We want to encourage all contractors and lawyers and workers to use the initiative as an opportunity to reinforce the existing safety procedures and ensure people and moving plant are effectively separated on construction sites. It's interesting. Yeah, sorry. Not I was just going to ask you, Joanna, about maybe where you see the greatest risks arising, but more I think about it there are so many because you think of your typical construction site, be it telehandlers, trucks, excavators or the machinery operating alongside workers, they really do have to have their wits about them and be so mindful of staying safe. Absolutely. Look, incidents have occurred when people enter an operating area of like a

2:05mobile plant or machinery piece of equipment or when an operator can't see the pedestrian. So an operator within that machinery that kind of has a blind spot for whatever reason. So plant operators need to be aware of blind spots around machinery and vehicles and workers need to keep clear of moving plant and equipment. With the tragic fatalities point out the continued need for employers, contractors, plant operators and workers to ensure that robust control measures are in place whenever people and plant interact in the same environment. The CIF naturally enough supporting this campaign. So what are you asking construction companies and workers to do differently or to review not just during these two weeks, but about making more lasting change to take beyond the campaign itself? Yeah, so look, initially the safety measures, like there are critical measures that can be done. So in terms of traffic management plans, exclusion zones, communication between operation and workers, and they're all equally as important ways to prevent the risk of instance on construction sites and that can cause either fatalities or life changing injuries

3:11from happening. You know, what we're looking at is competency. So it's a combination of training, knowledge and experience appropriate to the role in respect to training plant operators. They must have the required solace, CIF, CIF cards, the equipment that they're operating and they must have undertaken the familiarization training with a specific model they're operating a safety induction and be familiar with the safe working practices on any given site. But look, not all training is captured by solace CSCS. So again, it remains the responsibility of the employer to determine the appropriate training based on the risks presented and where additional training may be required. I suppose, John, the fact this campaign is happening proves it's needed, even if we didn't know about the fact there have been 25 construction related deaths over the last year, decade or so. But even despite professing my question with all of that, I still wonder are standards generally good across the industry in terms of competency, which you've just been speaking about in operator training or there's still areas where significant

4:12improvements are needed? No, look, I think the standard is there. I think that they're generally speaking. We have a very high level of safety in this country in terms of our construction companies. But I suppose to see a permanent change, we want to emphasize that preventing instance involving plants and machinery requires the sustained commitments throughout the year. So this campaign is exposed for two weeks, but we want to see zero deaths in serious injuries and construction sites. So when the campaign ends on the 18th of September, we want to see all contractors and employers and workers continuing to implement proper safety procedures and continuing to ensure that the safe separation of people and moving plants and machinery and construction sites, you know, it just just end, you know, when this campaign finishes, you know, we have to see this as a permanent shift change. They said there are the, we do see, we do see a high standard, but we don't want any complacency. We have to see the consistency and the permanent, you know, as a permanent shift. As I did mention at the outset, this isn't just about the 26 counties that

5:14is an all island campaign evolving yourselves, the health and safety authority and HSC and I, how important is having that consistent safety message across the island in terms of making a difference because as with so many things in life on the island, there's a lot of crossover and I'm sure, you know, construction workers from here going up there and vice versa and having similar standards, I guess, as Krusha in that respect. 100% the construction by nature is transient, so we will have, you know, workers moving from various sites that are all across the island of Ireland and outside of it. So look, I suppose as part of the campaign, as you've mentioned, it's being run by the HSA, the health and safety authority in the Republic of Ireland and the health and safety executive in Northern Ireland. And if it's what they're going to do to ensure that it's implemented, is there going to undertake targeted inspections of construction sites and they're going to focus on routine safety checks of plant machinery and silvery controls such as, you know, flashing beacons, mirrors, cameras, etc. are audible signals are alarms on the plant and

6:16machinery, safe operation of the plant and machinery. They're going to check competencies and responsibilities of the operators and how the risks are managed where workers and moving equipment operate in close proximity. You know, as I go back to the start, what I said, construction sites are busy, there are high risk environments where workers and machinery are working in close proximity. So we really have to make sure that there is that safe separation. And we want to make sure that everybody understands the importance of it to make sure that everybody goes home safely from work at the end of the day. Yeah, a really, really worthy campaign and hopefully it has the desired effect and I really appreciate you speaking with us about this morning, Joanne. Thank you. Thanks, thanks, Alan. Take care. Take care. Joanne Tracy there, the director of the Southern region for the construction industry federation.