CIF Construction Safety Week 2016 – 12th to 16th September 2016
The Construction Industry Federation (CIF) is running Construction Safety Week next week.
This is a week for companies and the self-employed to partner with the CIF and promote best practice in safety. Here Irishbuildingmagazine.ie discusses the activities and lets you know how you can get involved.
Speaking about Construction Safety Week, Director General of CIF, Tom Parlon said: “We’re asking all construction companies and self-employed involved in the sector to take time this week to reemphasis safety on site. The industry has been very successful in reducing workplace accidents and safety and health is now the cornerstone of the reputation of the construction industry.”
The collective mission for Construction Safety Week 2016 is to partner together to:
- Reduce accidents on construction sites in Ireland;
- Increase awareness of the importance of being committed to safety & health…every day;
- Inspiring all of us to share best practices and to work together to strengthen our industry’s safety culture;
- Celebrating the safety achievements to date.
The launch will take place on Monday 12th September at 9.00am at the Headquarters of the Health and Safety Authority in the Joyce Room, 6th floor, Metropolitan Building, James Joyce Street, Dublin 1. Minister for Employment and Small Business Pat Breen TD will launch Construction Safety Week. The speakers at the launch will be:
Martin O’Halloran – Health and Safety Authority;
Michael Stone – Construction Industry Federation;
Pat Kenny – Communications Workers’ Union;
Dr Mark Delargy – National Rehabilitation Hospital;
Minister Pat Breen TD.
Irishbuildingmagazine.ie spoke to Dermot Carey, Head of Safety Services at the CIF, about Construction Safety Week and how companies and individuals can get involved as partners with the CIF. Dermot has responsibility for developing and guiding the CIF’s policy on Health and Safety.
We asked what it means to be a partner for Construction Safety Week. Dermot said “The CIF is asking its members and non-members to be partners in promoting best practice and to be proactive throughout Construction Safety Week. We would call a partner someone who is signing-up to the ideals of what we are trying to do and promoting best practice.”
Dermot explained the activities that companies can get involved in: “There is a broad range of activities that companies are getting involved in. Some companies are doing in-house events; others are adopting the themes that we have recommended for each day.”
We asked how people can sign-up. Dermot said, “Apply through the website, send us your company logo and the CIF will put it up. They can tell us about their list of activities. There is a list of general activities up on the website. We can put up their activities on the website. If they are doing a toolbox talk, running a competition or recognising people who have done good work from a safety perspective, just let us know. They can focus on health, or talks on elements of health and safety in the company’s operations.”
CIF / National Rehabilitation Hospital Initiative
We often concentrate on the tragic fatalities when we imagine workplace accidents. However, there are about 600 serious workplace accidents reported to the HSA every year. What’s often overlooked is the impact of these accidents on the lives of those who experience them.
With advances in modern medicine, the ability to save lives has increased but with that comes rehabilitation. The National Rehabilitation Hospital works with people that have suffered such accidents. They do amazing work helping people to rebuild and live their lives combining multiple therapies under four programmes, spinal cord injury, brain injury, POLAR (prosthetics) and paediatrics.
CIF is now joining forces with the National Rehabilitation Hospital and the Health and Safety Authority to promote Construction Safety Week.
As part of the week’s activities, three patients of the NRH have told their story. These patients have talked openly and frankly about their struggle to cope with the aftermath of workplace accidents. They are powerful stories that CIF hopes will make everyone working in construction stop, and think safety. The NRH also talk about the types of injuries and the body of work they do to assist those who survive workplace accidents. These powerful stories will be sent to all CIF members and be available on its website and social media in advance of safety week. Please take a moment to watch them and hear how important safety is for every person involved in construction.
The Safety Week Schedule is as follows:
Monday 12th September – Working at Height
Tuesday 13th September – Electricity
Wednesday 14th September – Positive Mental Health
Thursday 15th September – Plant & Equipment
Friday 16th September – Occupational Health – Dust
More details on the Schedule and Safety Week Activities can be found here:
To become a partner send your logo to comms@cif.ie
Follow the CIF on Twitter: @CIF_Ireland
Follow Irish building on Twitter: @IrishBuildingOL