White van safety roadshow follows deaths

Date published: 14 May 2010

A white van with a difference will arrive at Carillion construction site, Broadoak,
Ashton-under-Lyne on Tuesday 18 May as part of a two-week safety tour of major construction sites in the region.

The White Van Roadshow will highlight the potential dangers in the industry, after five construction workers were killed in the North West last year. In Tamside there were also 14 major injuries and 26 three day injuries  in 2008/9 . Three day injuries refers to injuries which required workers to take at least three days off work.

The tour will see advisors from the construction industry and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visit nine sites in Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire. They will focus on the risks from untidy sites, working at height, manual handling, transport, asbestos and other dust-related diseases.

Representatives from leading companies in the construction industry will be among those attending the events, which will include practical demonstrations on new safety equipment.
HSE Inspector Alan Pojur said: “We’ll be spending a day at each site to meet as many construction workers as possible, and remind them of the dangers they face every day.

“Good health and safety doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. It can be as simple as making sure building sites are kept clean and tidy, or avoiding working on roofs in bad weather.

“The White Van Roadshow will aim to raise awareness about the risks workers on construction sites face every day. I hope it will help to cut the number of deaths and injuries in the future.”

The roadshow will set off from Ashton-in-Makerfield near Wigan on 17 May before visiting Ashton-under-Lyne on 18 May, Warrington on 19 and 20 May, and Liverpool on 21 May.

Week Two will see the white van visit Bootle in Merseyside on 24 May, Wirral on 25 May, Salford on 26 May and Buxton on 27 May, before ending its tour in Vauxhall in Liverpool on 28 May.

The White Van Roadshow has been organised as part of the Working Well Together initiative – a partnership between HSE and the construction industry – which aims to improve health and safety in the sector.

More information on the initiative is available at www.wwt.uk.com