Hard hats and high visibility vests are essential for all
visitors to construction sites - no matter how important the guest
may be.
That's the message from Matt Reeves, who leads the health and
safety team at Henshalls Insurance Brokers, in Newport and
Shrewsbury.
"Health and safety rules on site must apply to everyone, and
making exceptions for certain staff or ignoring them for special
guests is a policy that's a huge risk."
The warning comes after a council leader visited a construction
site in the south of England, but refused to wear the
high-visibility vest and hard hat he had been given, even though
everyone else visiting the site had done so.
And the problem worsened when the contractor made the mistake of
allowing him on to their site, without wearing his protective
equipment.
"The difficulty came because the local press were also on the
visit and covered the story showing the council leader ignoring the
health and safety rules," said Matt.
"The clear message is that if you set rules for your site, they
must be applied to everyone and if anyone refuses to comply, no
matter who they are, they should be banned from entering the areas
where the rules apply."
Matt said the VIP's actions also undermined the importance of
the rules on site.
"When workers who must wear personal protective equipment see
others ignoring the rules, they may feel they can do the same. And
when the person flouting the regulations is a senior member of
staff or an important visitor, your workers' case for ignoring the
rules is even stronger."
Matt said construction sites must ask for the equipment to be
worn only when there was a good reason for it. "Your reasoning for
introducing these rules must be that the risks are too high for the
equipment not to be worn, and make it a disciplinary offence if
anyone does not comply.
"Set out the rules in a health and safety policy, and make it
clear they must be followed by all staff - mentioning directors and
managers in particular as they must set an example. Health and
safety rules are there for a reason, and ignoring them means
individuals are putting themselves at risk - that's a risk you, and
they, cannot afford to take."
For more information about Henshalls, please visit their website
here: www.henshalls.com