ABSTRACT
Poor health and safety management costs the construction industry millions of pounds each year. Across the UK economy the cost to business and commerce runs into billions of pounds annually. Yet, more fundamental and of greater importance, poor health and safety management costs lives. Construction continues to be one of the most hazardous industries within which to work. The Egan report Rethinking Construction (DETR, 1998) stated that 'the health and safety record of construction is the second worst of any industry' and suggested that 'accidents can account for 3-6 per cent of total project costs'. Injuries, accidents and dangerous situations are commonplace. Over the last 20 years the construction industry has suffered a poor health and safety record. While the number of fatal accidents declined throughout the 1990s this must not encourage any sense of comfort and complacency. 'The rates of death, serious injury and ill health are still too high' (HSE, 1997). The industry has a perpetual and unswerving challenge to deliver and maintain a safe working environment. Effective health and safety management demands a clear vision, a systematic approach and a sustained commitment to improvement.
