Pictured: Stepnell managing director Mark Wakeford

Rugby-based construction and civil engineering company Stepnell is reminding children and young people to stay safe over the Christmas and New Year holiday by keeping clear of construction sites.

With many sites closing down over the Christmas holidays, the firm is asking parents and the community to be vigilant and warn children and youngsters that they should never play on a building site. Stepnell, which has its head office in Lawford Road, Rugby, is also urging other construction companies in the area to carry out regular checks on their sites to make sure fencing is secure and intact to prevent children from accessing them. 

Construction sites are not adventure playgrounds

Stepnell managing director Mark Wakeford says: "We regularly hold health and safety events and activities with schools to get across the very serious message that a construction site is an extremely dangerous place and not an adventure playground. This is particularly important at this time of year when many sites are closed over the holidays. We hope the community will help us get the message across and ensure that children stay safe this Christmas and New Year."

National figures from the Health and Safety Executive for 2009/10 show that 31 children under the age of 15 were injured on construction sites over this period.