Steel decking
giant hits magic million – and it’s no accident!
25th January 2007. Skanska UK specialist steel decking company Richard Lees Steel Decking, the UK’s leading manufacturer of steel decking solutions, this week notched up a magic one million accident-free man hours – despite its employees working in some of the most demanding environments in UK construction. The company, based in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, has completed more than 1,200 construction projects since its last recorded accident in August 2003. |
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| The achievement follows a sustained health and safety drive to improve the company’s performance. This included the introduction of safety netting as the default method of fall arrest for operatives working at height during the installation of decking systems. Richard Lees Steel Decking also introduced a musculoskeletal care programme, where a nationwide network of physiotherapists can treat problems such as back pain before they lead to potential work injuries. Working at height is acknowledged to be the biggest single cause of death and the second biggest cause of major injury at work. Each year in the UK alone, there are an average of more than 50 fatalities and more than 4,000 major injuries caused by falls from height at work. Yet Richard Lees Steel Decking is involved in many projects which involve working at height - including Broadgate Tower, in London, Spinnaker Tower, in Portsmouth, both of which involved working at heights of up to 170 metres. |
Mark Keily, environmental health and safety manager for Richard Lees Steel Decking, said: “We work on all manner of projects, from high-rise office developments to small mezzanine floors in house extensions. But, whatever the size and complexity, there’s an inherent risk associated with working at height on any construction site. “Through improved education, training and working practices, Richard Lees Steel Decking has introduced a strong safety culture in the company, so that health and safety is top of the agenda and equal to productivity and profit.” Reaching the landmark one million man hours of accident-free working comes less than two years after the company received the first of two consecutive RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) Gold Awards in recognition of its exceptionally high standards of health and safety. According to RoSPA, there are 1.6 million workplace injuries in the UK every year. |
