The Construction Confederation has called on the government to insist that companies working on public sector construction projects should have fully qualified and competent workforces.
Speaking to representative from the construction and insurance industries, Construction Confederation chairman Roy Wakeman said it was important to encourage and reward employers who demonstrated good health and safety practices.
By 2010, all workers in the industry will need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card showing they are adequately qualified and have passed an appropriate health and safety test.
In addition, the Office of Government Commerce recently published procurement guidance for government departments advising that they should assess the proven skills of suppliers' workforces demonstrated with accredited schemes such as CSCS.
Wakeman said: “Why can't the government go further? It should be demanding that no company will work on a project without a fully qualified and competent workforce.”
He said there was also an opportunity for the insurance sector to help drive improvements through underwriting procedures.
“You must start separating the sheep from the goats. There is clearly some excellent practice amongst contractors – but because you do not assess individual companies often enough, you are not rewarding the best players.
“Companies that are Considerate Contractors, have ISO18001 or are an accredited contractor signed to the National Federation of Builders' new Construction Accredited Partner Scheme (CAPS) initiative should receive appropriate recognition from insurers.
“Likewise those companies signed up to trade association charters should all benefit through lower premiums because they can show clear evidence that they are making a difference.”
Wakeman said that although the crisis caused by the sudden steep rise in EL premiums peaked 18 months ago but there was still a great deal of work that could be done to ease the situation.
He said more frequent risk assessments in recognition of the unprecedented investment in health and safety by the construction industry and better service and more notice on premium renewals would help ease the situation.
