黑洞社区

It鈥檚 a good job that James Purnell is a fast talker. Despite having a day so jam-packed that his assistant has to deliver a latte and sandwich to him mid meeting, he has decided to squeeze one extra appointment into his lunch hour.

The secretary of state for work and pensions has invited 黑洞社区 to his Westminster offices to reveal how he intends to bring in the UK鈥檚 new tower crane register 鈥� the central demand of 黑洞社区鈥檚 Safer Skyline campaign. More than that, he seems to want to give the magazine some hope that another of its demands 鈥� rigorous checks on cranes more than 10 years old 鈥� might also be met.

Purnell鈥檚 update comes just weeks after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) bowed to pressure to work with the construction industry on improving tower crane safety (see 黑洞社区, 6 February, page 24).

Credit: Tom Harford Thompson

James Purnell

And action can鈥檛 come soon enough 鈥� despite a blitz by the HSE on tower cranes in 2007, 11 people have been killed in the past seven years. Two more firms were last week found guilty of health and safety breaches following the deaths of two men at a tower crane collapse in Sussex in February 2005.

It seems Purnell himself was won over to the need for a tower crane register both by 黑洞社区鈥檚 campaign and the demands of his own House of Commons Work and Pensions select committee. And now that all sides are on board, it looks as if the government isn鈥檛 about to open itself to accusations of dragging its feet.

鈥楩ast timeframe鈥�

The new register is planned for April 2010 and a consultation is due to start this summer

After instructing the HSE to address crane safety in December last year, Purnell is focused on getting the register up and running as soon as possible, with a consultation being prepared by officials. 鈥淲e are working on a fast timeframe with this as I am absolutely clear that having a register could make a significant difference to the safety of people who work in the construction industry,鈥� he says.

鈥淭he new register is planned for April 2010 and a consultation with the industry is due to start this summer.鈥�

He is quick to add that, despite initial resistance, the HSE is now dedicated to working with him on the implementation of the register. 鈥淚 am confident the HSE can consult with stakeholders to make this happen in the proposed timeframe,鈥� he says.

鈥淧lus, [construction workers鈥� union] Ucatt has been absolutely at the heart of this plan and its willingness will mean we can work quickly and effectively with the industry.鈥�

It is this consultation period that will determine exactly what information the register will require for submission to the HSE. These details have, so far, been left undecided, other than the inclusion of the equipment鈥檚 age, location and ownership. But Purnell does confirm that 黑洞社区鈥檚 call for all cranes over 10 years old to have an annual MOT will definitely be considered as well.

From voluntary to mandatory

There are some very good sites, but then there are some not taking responsibility and people are dying as a result

The new register will start life as a voluntary scheme this year but this will be a precursor to it becoming mandatory. At this stage, no decision has been made on how or when this transition will happen. What is known is that once it becomes mandatory, the scheme will be enforced by HSE inspectors and anyone not meeting the register鈥檚 requirements will be issued an enforcement notice before being taken to the criminal courts.

The reaction has so far been broadly positive. Liliana Alexa, secretary of the Battersea Crane Disaster Action Group, lost her son in a crane accident in 2006. 鈥淢OTs are vital to improve crane safety,鈥� she said. 鈥淐ranes should come with their own passports, detailing where each part of it is from, who supplied it and how old it is.鈥�

鈥楴ot acceptable鈥�

Purnell says that, in addition to reducing injuries and deaths, the register will, he hopes, restore some faith in construction: 鈥淲e want to make sure that the rest live up to the standards of the best. There are some very good sites and, for the most part, health and safety standards are high. But then there are some not taking responsibility and people are losing parents and children as a result 鈥� this is not acceptable.

鈥淭he register will make it easier to monitor those not living up to the correct standards and stop them undercutting those who are vigilant by taking short cuts on safety.鈥�

Purnell talks fast, but not quite fast enough, as the interview has to be cut off to give him enough time to get in some preening and get into the best light for his photograph to be taken. But not before he takes an extra few seconds to congratulate 黑洞社区 on its campaign. 鈥淚 really would like to compliment you on what you have achieved with this,鈥� he says. 鈥淛ust one death is one too many and totally unacceptable. We are now focusing on tackling this as quickly and effectively as possible.鈥�