Construction companies around the country have been gathering to mark Construction Safety Week this week, which wraps up today with a focus on managing vehicle safety.

According to Michael McDonagh, Head of Construction Policy with the Health and Safety Authority: “Between 2009 and 2017, there have been 20 reported deaths arising from vehicle-related accidents in the construction sector. Furthermore, there are numerous injuries each year, involving vehicles. Employers, the self-employed and construction workers in general need to be aware of the main risks associated with vehicles which need to be managed in order to protect themselves, their workers and members of the public, throughout all construction activity.”

Dermot Carey, Director Safety and Training, Construction Industry Federation (CIF) said: “Today we turn our focus to managing work with vehicles – both heavy site-based vehicles and cars and vans used for day to day transport. Accidents associated with vehicles feature regularly in the industry. On site, the principle issue is the separation of vehicles and pedestrians and the ability of the driver to see those operating in the machine’s vicinity. On the road, fatigue and distraction are factors in many accidents. Today we give some thought to how we can work to prevent these situations. It is no accident that we chose Friday to focus on this subject as the Road Safety Authority (RSA) tell us that most fatal accidents happen at the weekends. Visit www.cif.ie/safety-week to view our webinar on Driving for Work and a series of videos of safety walkarounds of common site plant delivered by Clive Kelly of Clive Kelly Safety” and a “Driving for Work” webinar delivered by Michael Walsh, HSA.”

Architect and RTE star Dermot Bannon, is lending his support for Construction Safety Week this year to drive home the 2018 theme- ‘Better Safety for Smaller Contractors.’

Dermot Bannon said: “Contractors working on domestic renovations face many difficult safety challenges. In addition to working within a tight site footprint, they have to ensure subcontractors and suppliers, who may only be on site temporarily, adhere to their rules. They also have to ensure that their clients- the homeowners- are safe when on site.”

“No matter what rules and processes are in place, construction sites are dangerous. If you are working on one, you are responsible for your personal safety and that of those around you. In turn, you should expect that those working around you are equally aware of your safety.”

“I see how high the standards are in Ireland, particularly when I get to work abroad. Our industry has a lot to be proud of, but as any Health and Safety Officer would advise, one should not get complacent and that is why Construction Safety Week is so important for the Irish construction industry.”

Construction Safety Week is an initiative of the Construction Safety Partnership Advisory Committee (CSPAC). This is a grouping of all the main stakeholders in the construction sector in Ireland – Employers, Unions, State Bodies (in conjunction with the Health & Safety Authority) and Professional Bodies.

Our collective objective is to continue to highlight the issues of health and safety in the Irish construction industry and to drive continual improvement.

Good health and safety depend on co-operation between all parties on a project – from client to designers and contractors – everyone’s safety depends on their co-workers or the person working beside you or above you.

The mission for this week is to re-focus on health and safety and it’s a call to action for companies of all sizes to run a safety event this week.

Construction Safety Week 2018 is sponsored by the Construction Workers Sick Pay Trust (CWPS), DRS Bond Management, Jacobs Engineering, Walls Construction, Glenveagh Properties, Collen Construction, Irish Water, Gas Networks Ireland and ESB Networks.

For more information see: www.cif.ie/safety-week, check out activity on @CIF_ireland or by using #CIFsafety18