According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) 58 workers were fatally injured as a result of falling from a height in 2007/2008, with scaffolding being one of the most common agents associated with a fatal injury to workers during this time.

In light of this the National Construction College (NCC), Europe's largest construction training provider, has joined forces with the HSE to run a series of seminars, which aim to improve health and safety practice within the scaffolding industry.

The HSE selected the NCC, which is the direct training division of ConstructionSkills, due to its status as a centre of excellence in terms of its scaffolding and health and safety training. More than 50 individual companies will attend the seminars, which will be taking place in Stafford, Worcester and in the South West.

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They will cover areas such as practical methods of scaffolding, and meeting industry guidance in addition to the latest legislation and regulations. The seminars, which will include practical demonstrations of best practice delivered by highly experienced scaffolding instructors from the NCC, will help to identify any weaknesses within internal company practices and procedures, helping to ensure the staff are fully trained and able to carry out their jobs safely and correctly.

NCC Access Manager, Chris Barrett, said: "The recent 12% increase in the number of fatalities of those working at height emphasises the importance of health and safety training and practice, not only within the scaffolding sector but within the construction industry as a whole.

"We are extremely pleased that the HSE has chosen to work with us to deliver these seminars, which will help us to ensure up to date health and safety training is being delivered to the scaffolding industry, therefore reducing the occurrence of accidents and at worst serious injury."

(CD/JM)