CONSTRUCTION HEALTH AND SAFETY AND INJURY PREVENTION

  • Max Bradford
Enterprise and Commerce

Ladies and Gentlemen, today's launch of the Building and Construction Industry Training Organisation's National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety, and Injury Prevention is a very timely initiative.

The high rate of injuries and death within the building and construction industry is of very serious concern to me as Minister of Labour, as I am sure it is to the industry organisations represented here today.

The construction industry is one of the most hazardous sectors to work in.

Over the past five years OSH has investigated about 60 fatalities in the building and construction industry. These figures include thirteen construction related workplace deaths in the past nine months alone.

In the previous year 10 people died on construction sites - nearly a quarter of workplace fatalities in that year.

ACC data tells us that 3,134 people suffered injuries that took them off work for more than five days in the year to the end of June 1996. And between 1994 and 1996 construction injuries, measured by ACC claims data, increased annually by 28 per cent compared to all other industries at 14 per cent.

These figures, and more importantly the human trauma and suffering behind them, are tragic and totally unacceptable. It cannot be said too often that even one death is one too many.

The cost of workplace fatalities in terms of the grief and suffering for those who have lost a partner, parent, child, friend or workmate is immeasurable. In monetary terms the cost of workplace deaths is estimated at about $150 million a year.

We should be able to take if for granted that our workplaces are safe. The fact is we can't.

But to simply blame the Government, as some sector groups have recently, is naive.

In 1992 the Health and Safety in Employment Act was introduced to address the very real concerns about our workplace safety record. Although there has been an improvement in some areas, and an increased knowledge and awareness of the issues, occupational deaths have not decreased.

In fact this year's figures - 45 deaths in just nine months compared with 41 for the whole of the 1996/97 year and 53 the previous year - are, as your chief executive Trevor Allesbrook has already been quoted saying - nothing short of appalling.

Whether these disturbing figures are a blip in the statistics, or the symptom of something more seriously at play in our workplaces, is yet to be determined. OSH is preparing a report for me on this.

But whatever the reason, it is clearly more important than ever that together, industry - employers and workers - and the Government tackle these issues to make workplaces as safe as possible. The primary responsibility rests with employers and employees though, not with the taxpayer.

All too often it is OSH-initiated court action after a workplace accident that gains publicity. That is not the main role of OSH. Court action is nothing more than an ambulance - or a hearse - at the bottom of a cliff.

OSH works in partnership with industry to reduce workplace accidents and injuries. It is a partnership between industry, employees and OSH to encourage employees and workers to take ownership of their own workplace safety - with a particular focus on the killer industries: farming, forestry, construction and hazardous substances.

OSH has a strong educational role, can use compliance orders, and prosecutes employers for unsafe behaviour on the facts of each individual case.

As you are no doubt aware, the Government has always stressed that the primary responsibility for safety rests with industry. I have believed for some time that industry itself needs to be more proactive in improving health and safety performance.

I was therefore delighted to learn that the BCITO in conjunction with OSH commenced work late last year to develop a number of Units of Learning to specifically equip employers, contractors, and their employees with the skills to manage hazards on construction sites.

I want to congratulate the BCITO on the initiative they have taken to put in place a training programme that will produce ongoing and long term benefits for all those engaged in the industry.

We also need to express our appreciation and acknowledge the amount of time, effort, money and knowledge that was provided by industry people to make this training programme a reality.

As Minister of Labour I was also pleased to know that OSH has worked in conjunction with you and was able to support the initiative.

It represents moves by industry to take up the challenge to be more proactive in improving health and safety performance.

In launching these National Certificates I believe the building and construction industry has itself set a challenge and a standard for other industry sectors to follow.

I will be certainly following the programme's progress with much interest.

I would like to wish all participants every success and for a safe and healthy future.