The UK’s safest house builders have been honoured for their outstanding dedication to health and safety as NHBC announced the winners of the first round of its annual Health and Safety Awards.
Now in its seventh year, the Awards recognise site managers’ commitment to excellent health and safety practice on site.
They credit and reward the very best in health and safety and also help to drive up safety standards in house-building by showcasing and sharing best practice.
A total of 61 site managers were awarded Commended status for their sites and will now go on to compete for the Highly Commended, Runners up and National winners to be announced at a gala event on 8 July 2016.
All of the competing sites were visited by NHBC Health and Safety advisors and scored to stringent standards.
According to the Health & Safety Executive there were 35 fatal injuries to workers in the Construction sector in 2014/15, around 20% lower than the five year average for 2010/11-2014/15; almost half of the fatal injury cases were caused by falls from height.
Every casualty on site is unacceptable; however it is reassuring to see that house builders across the UK continue to safeguard their colleagues, by placing health and safety practice high on their agenda, with the number fatal injuries in construction substantially decreasing over the last 40 years.
Tom Kitchen, NHBC Health and Safety Operations Manager, said: “Congratulations to all the winners on achieving their NHBC Health and Safety Commended Award. It’s been a fantastic year with a record number of entries; we had an outstanding shortlist of finalists this year, strengthening the importance given to health and safety on house-building sites across the UK.
“To win an award at this level clearly shows their commitment to preserving an excellent health and safety record and ups the ante for other site managers. We wish them the very best of luck in the next stage of the competition.”