PPE & WORKWEAR
CONSTRUCTING CHANGE
Carl Ghinn, Managing Director at Fixmart discusses how changing regulations are altering the way companies select their PPE.
Health and safety in construction is an ever-changing landscape and as the industry continues to embrace more technology, we can expect that regulations will continue to evolve. Consequently, many workers are constantly playing catch up to ensure they remain compliant. As a supplier to the industry, one of our biggest challenges is to ensure we always stock the products that enable our clients to meet new regulations and avoid hefty penalties.
In 2016, new sentencing guidelines were introduced by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) for health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences. In the first year, the amount collected in fines across the construction sector alone increased by 83% to £13m, up from £7m the previous year. In fact, it was reported that construction giant Balfour Beatty had to pay £2.6m of that total. As a result of these tougher sanctions, many companies are becoming extra vigilant when it comes to health & safety procedures.
Despite this, the recent announcement that surprise site inspections by the HSE had fallen by 14% sparked much concern for our clients. Many within the industry are worried that sites are in danger of letting standards lapse and
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companies may be left with heavy penalties and in extreme cases, this can mean imprisonment.
In response to this, it was revealed that large construction companies have started putting money aside each year to pay for potential fines. An article in the Construction Index stated that the construction company Kier had put aside £8m from its annual profits for health and safety fines for the next year. Whilst a large tier one company like Kier can afford to pay larger fines, many of our clients who are tier two and three subcontractors could potentially fold under the weight of a large fine. Therefore, it is crucial that we, as a supplier to the M&E, HVAC and construction sectors, are always up- to-date on the latest health and safety regulations and develop our portfolio of products accordingly, whether that is in relation to stainless steel cable ties, power tools, or safety gear and personal protective equipment (PPE).
You may have read that Highways
England took the decision last year to switch its construction and maintenance contractors over to a new, industry-recognised, colour- coded hard hat scheme. Four colours of hard hat were introduced to reflect worker’s roles and level of responsibility, in a bid to make
sites safer. Supervisors wear black, slingers orange, visitors blue and general workers white.
The scheme began on highways, but it is also beginning to filter through to more and more companies operating in the construction industry. As a result, we have recently seen a 30% rise in sales of protective head gear, as the guidelines become more widely adopted. Interestingly, sales of yellow hats have actually decreased by 57.4%, whilst sales of blue and white hats have increased by 139% and 90% respectively. Moving forward, we expect demand for these coloured hard hats will continue to grow and we will invest in these products to meet demand, guaranteeing that 100% of our core lines are always in stock.
Whilst the construction industry continues to adopt new technologies, we can expect health and safety regulations to keep on changing. However, as the HSE is toughening penalties for those who don’t comply with regulations, it has never been more important for suppliers to fully understand legislation in order to provide the right products quickly and to help their customers remain compliant.
www.fixmart.co.uk www.tomorrowshs.com
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