Progress is being made on safety in small construction firms but there is more to do, Health and Safety Minister, Lord McKenzie told European employers at a major health and safety conference in central London.

The conference hosted by the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) for senior representatives of the construction trade association members of the European Builders Confederation marked the climax of a European Commission funded project, 'Under Construction II' aimed at improving standards of health and safety in construction SMEs across Europe.

In his keynote speech, Lord McKenzie outlined some of the recent initiatives helping to improve safety and health in Great Britain, including a construction industry forum on pre-qualification schemes and Health and Safety Executive’s asbestos awareness campaign, which was supported by the FMB.

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The Minister told the conference: "Although we are still learning how best to raise awareness of health and safety risks in small and medium-sized construction companies, we are getting there.

"We must continue to share our experiences across Europe and learn from each other. We need to be mindful that any measures need to avoid disproportionate burdens and to be effective must be simple, practical and affordable."

As part of the conference delegates were taken on a tour of the Olympic site to see firsthand how the enormous health and safety challenges posed by the construction phase are being managed.

The Olympic Delivery Authority hosted the tour, providing an expert speaker to guide the delegation through the various best practice examples on display including the minimisation of work at height, onsite traffic management and the extensive occupational health provision.

Delegates also heard from other keynote speakers including the Chief Inspector of Construction, Phillip White, the Head of Health and Safety Strategy at ConstructionSkills, Kevin Fear, and the Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the British Safety Council, Neal Stone, as well as speakers from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and the European Commission.

Richard Diment, Director-General of the FMB said: "Within an SME dominated industry where firms face a constant struggle to provide the resources to keep up with their ever increasing duties, it is essential that trade associations provide support and expertise to assist them with all facets of their work but it is doubly important in the field of health and safety where the risk to life and limb is ever present."

(CD/BMcC)