HSE Offers Guidance on New Construction Regulations
Britain's Health and Safety Executive is preparing the construction industry there for revisions to the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations that are taking effect in April 2007. Construction remains a disproportionately dangerous industry in Britain, and HSE says these new rules require significant and permanent changes in employers' practices.
The existing rules were introduced in 1995 and prompted concerns about their complexity, and they have not provided the safety gains HSE expected. The new rules are simpler and combine the existing regulations with the Construction (Health Safety and Welfare) regulations in one package supported by an Approved Code of Practice and industry-backed guidance.
To give construction personnel and design professionals time to plan and prepare for the changes, the Code of Practice will be available before the regulations take effect, HSE said.