An initiative co-ordinated by JIM LEAHY, Health and Safety Officer with RPS-MCOS, to ensure staff compliance with construction regulations has earned him the 2004 Hibernian Insurance/Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Safety Practitioner Gold Medal. Here, he describes the project. Two recently published reports emphasise the important role that clients and designers can play in improving safety in the construction industry. An examination of dutyholder responsibilities: fatal construction accidents 1997-2002, prepared for the HSA by Marie Dalton, B.A. MSc and published in January 2004, recommends that construction regulations should be revised so that clients and designers have the same level of responsibility for safety as contractors and project supervisors at the construction stage. In addition, the Report of Visits to Designers, undertaken by HSA inspectors over 2001 to 2002, concluded that many architects, engineers and designers are unaware of their duties under health and safety law and have a poor understanding of their obligations.
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