DISRUPTIONS LIKELY-HOW WEATHER, LEGISLATION, AND ACCIDENTS CALL FOR GROUND-LEVEL CHANGES IN BUILDING PRACTICE

摘要

It is a little known fact that, according to the UK's Health and Safety Executive, 2011 -12 saw the UK lose 4.3 million working days as a result of workplace injuries. In February and March 2013, the same body issued one in every five active UK construction sites with safety enforcement notices: the result of a strong crackdown on workplace safety in the construction industry. Finally, the Office for National Statistics tells us that in January this year, construction output fell for the third consecutive month, down by 7.9% since last year. Many experts put this issue down to snowfall and other difficult weather conditions. It is true that the weather alone makes huge demands upon Britain's floundering construction industry, while new legislation and health and safety concerns simply add to the building pressure. The question is - how can the sector overcome such prominent setbacks? The answer, it seems, is to start at the bottom.