News

On 5 May 2014 the companies forming the "Association for Safety in the Construction Industry" started their "Safety Week".

Actions aimed at a promotion of safety culture were taken on hundreds of construction sites all around Poland by the signatories of the Association for Safety, the companies Bilfinger Infrastructure, Budimex, Hochtief Polska, Mostostal Warszawa, Mota-Engil Central Europe, Polimex-Mostostal, Skanska and Warbud.

Within this initiative Warbud planned a number of actions aimed at increasing employee and subcontractor's awareness in the field of occupational health and safety. Our sites were visited by important guests - inspectors from the State Labour Inspection and State Sanitary Inspection who held lectures on safety at work. We also invited fire fighters form the State Fire Service who demonstrated how to use portable fire-fighting equipment in the case of fire (this time - a controlled fire). We also organized training sessions run by qualified rescuers demonstrating first aid techniques and how to use defibrillators. One of our construction sites was visited by Director of Polska Izba Gospodarcza Rusztowań (Polish Chamber of Commercial Scaffolding).

One of the elements of the Week was the implementation of the National Hearing Protection Programme on chosen Warbud sites. Free hearing tests were organized for our employees who also received clear information why it is important to protect it. In addition to that customized ear protectors will be tailor-made for a chosen group of test participants.

One of the elements of the Week was an OHS Quarter addressed to all persons working on construction sites. Employees and subcontractors had an opportunity to listen to talks on how to behave in emergencies, work at height and use hazardous substances. Each site manager is obliged to run a specially prepared presentation for the whole personnel regarding health and safety at work. The presentation helps to understand the idea of safe work, shows risks, encourages to plan the sequence of work, divide tasks, resources and any potential dangers associated with them.

Suppliers of protective equipment presented their latest available solutions and products and gave information regarding potential risks. There were also presentations of safe tools, protective goggles and the ways of their maintenance. Correct use of tools and user safety were also emphasized. Suppliers and manufacturers of scaffolding systems presented instructions of correct operation of their products on construction sites.

According to the slogan of the "Safety Week" which is "All begins with me - safe I, safe we" mirrors were installed on our sites with the inscription "Person responsible for site health and safety". Each staff member looking in the mirror will see his own reflection just under the letters and will understand that safety starts with and depends just on him.

The Safety Week was the time in which the signatories of the Agreement doubled their efforts to achieve the "zero accidents" goal. The involvement of such a large group of people makes us expect a positive change of the safety culture either in our own firms or among our subcontractors.

Effects of the actions taken by the Agreement are already seen. All members of the Agreement have identical requirements with respect to health and safety for their subcontractors. The method of site risk assessment is also the same for all the firms which means that risk is analysed in connection with the job and each time requires a preparation of a Safe Work Instruction. All the companies also follow the same guidelines regarding trainings for employees and subcontractors. Now the process of introducing safety goggles is underway. In the second half of this year goggles will be a standard and obligatory personal protection equipment item for every person entering a construction site.

The Safety Week is another initiative of the signatories of the Agreement aimed at increasing safety levels. According to statistics 120 persons are killed each year on Polish construction sites. It is now time to change it.