HSE Launches Search for Acts and Messages of Kindness Towards Britain’s Builders

Members of the public are being encouraged to share messages and acts of kindness for those working in the construction industry, in the run-up to Valentine’s Day.

Using both #WorkRight and #WeCare hashtags, the public are being encouraged to tweet the Health and Safety Executive (@H_S_E) with the little things they do for the construction workers in their lives or send in anonymous messages to strangers just to show they are cared for and appreciated.

HSE hopes that by builders seeing these messages, even if they’re from a stranger, it will encourage them to reflect and take workplace health and safety more seriously.

This drive comes at a time when the regulator is currently inspecting construction sites across London in relation to the management of asbestos with inspectors specifically looking for evidence of construction workers knowing the risks, planning their work and using the right controls when it comes to working with asbestos to protect them from exposure.

HSE’s Andy Gay, acting chief inspector of construction said:

“We are hoping the acts of kindness will remind builders to use the right controls and protect themselves from asbestos because there are people out there who care and would be affected if they became ill or developed cancer later in life.

“Asbestos remains one of the biggest risks to construction workers’ health with 3,500 people from the industry dying each year as a result of work-related cancers, linked mainly to asbestos exposure. Our inspectors are out visiting sites at the moment to ensure employers and workers are taking the necessary steps to protect against asbestos exposure.

“We must ensure all workers are protected and are not made ill or killed by their work. Everyone should be able to leave work and go home healthy to their families.”

Follow the campaign on Twitter at @H_S_E, on Facebook via @hsegovuk and @SaferSites. You can also join the conversation by using #WorkRight and #WeCare

Notes to Editors:

1. During the upcoming programme of inspections, while the primary focus will be on health and asbestos risks, if a HSE inspector sees any issues of concern, they will take the necessary enforcement action to deal with this.
2. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We prevent work-related death, injury and ill health through regulatory actions that range from influencing behaviours across whole industry sectors through to targeted interventions on individual businesses. These activities are supported by globally recognised scientific expertise. www.hse.gov.uk
3. HSE news releases are available at http://press.hse.gov.uk

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