17th June 2021
All ten SCF contractors are members of the forum which meets quarterly to drive best practice across their businesses and SCF sites. Mark Mortell, Head of Health and Safety – UK Construction for ISG and one of the longest standing members of the forum said,
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‘The SCF Health & Safety Forum is almost unique within the construction industry in bringing together senior Health & Safety professionals from Tier One contractors for open, honest and mature discussion about common issues and sharing experiences and mitigations. As a result of this we are able to instigate topical workshops and workstreams across our businesses that target any emerging issues and bring the benefits from this pool of experience and knowledge into all of our businesses.’
The Health and Safety Forum is introducing new data recording on a quarterly basis – measures will include mental health support and campaigns, innovations around undertaking tasks more safely and including identifying better or modified equipment. The number of visits to site by senior managers will be recorded, which is known to have a positive effect, and the number of ‘tool box talks’ and ‘safety stand downs’ where whole site teams come together to be briefed about particular issues or safe working initiatives. This sort of positive intervention is shown to have a beneficial effect on site safety and the well-being of operatives and creates safer sites where accidents are less likely to occur.
As reported previously SCF sites now all adopt the CLOCS* standard, and in June the CLOCS Forum is hosting a session about the safe loading and unloading of vehicles at the request of SCF Health & Safety Forum. The forum identified a potential issue around the efficacy of edge protection on some types of flatbed trucks so members of the Health & Safety Forum will discuss with CLOCS and fleet operators the best way to overcome this.
* Construction Logistics & Community Safety – designed to reduce accidents related to construction traffic.
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