Blog Archives
January 2007
More deaths on building site
Three workers have been found dead in a shipping container on a building site in Berkshire. The bodies of Kirpal Singh, 30, Manjit Singh, 35 and 21-year-old Gurdeep Singh Deol, from Southall, Middlesex, were found on the morning of 22 December at the site where St James Homes is building a multi-million pound urban village in Manor Farm Road, Whitley. Initial tests showed the men died from carbon monoxide poisoning. One theory is that instead of going home on Thursday the trio spent the night in the container, using a portable generator to help them keep warm, and were overcome by its fumes. Police family liaison officers have spoken to workmates and employers and contacted relatives. A Health and Safety Executive investigation is under way. Tony Pidgley, a spokesperson for St James Homes said: 'To have three deaths at any time is a real tragedy, but it takes on special significance at this time of year and our thoughts go out their friends and family. We will do all we can to co-operate with the investigation.'
Source: TUC - Risks: weekly health and safety update - Risks 289 - 13 January 2007
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations
The new CDM regulations come into effect in April. They are "the most radical change to construction health and safety legislation since 1994, the year when the existing CDM regulations came into effect," according to John Malins, associate at law firm Davies Arnold Cooper.
The new regs make those with the greatest control and influence over a project, namely the project team, responsible for health and safety. They also introduce a new role of co-ordinator in place of the planning supervisor who will be appointed by the client. "The co-ordinator will be required to 'identify and extract' all information required to secure the health and safety of anyone engaged in construction work," says Malins.
The other big change is that ultimate responsibility - and consequently, liability for health and safety - rests with the client for all construction projects. While the client can delegate the duties under the regulations, for example to the co-ordinator, it nonetheless retains liability for complying with the regulations.
"Contractors, employers and designers would be wise to review their obligations now," warns Malins. "Any projects straddling the April 2007 effective date will be subject to the new regulations, which apply to all construction projects lasting more than 30 days or involving more than 500 person days of construction work."
Source: Contract Journal, Issue 204
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