|
Session of the Council for Work Safety in Construction
The Chief Labour Inspector's Council for Work Safety in Construction, whose composition is new, held its second session at the Chief Labour Inspectorate on 10 February 2009. The meeting, attended by the National Labour Inspectorate's head Tadeusz Jan Zając and his Deputy Dr Marian Liwo, was chaired by Zbigniew Janowski, Vice-Chairman of the Council and Chairman of "Budowlani" Trade Union.
Tadeusz Jan Zając reminded all present that work safety in construction is treated as a priority in the National Labour Inspectorate's inspection, supervisory and preventative activities. He informed everyone about the development of a new checklist - the so-called checklist on construction and the creation of a group of highly specialised labour inspectors who would deal only with supervision of that sector. On the occasion of discussing this topic, Mr. Zając also mentioned the preparation of an innovative concept of inspection-supervisory actions of our labour inspectorate. They will focus on small firms with the biggest problems in the sphere of work safety and legality of employment. On the other hand, large construction enterprises, which have numerous and trained staff, professional OSH services and adequate resources, are to be visited by the NLI's inspectors rather occasionally for preventative purposes, in line with the rule that the NLI is not going to substitute employers' services which are competent to care about OSH conditions.
- We will not replace OSH service in doing its work, but we will assess a given employer by looking at OSH service's activity - said the NLI's head. - We are going to finish "paper-based" inspection work, with thousands of issued decisions which regulate such issues which should be addressed at the level of OSH service subordinated directly to the employer.
Referring to the issue of proper, representative selection of construction companies for inspections as one of the conditions of the NLI's effectiveness, Chief Labour Inspector Tadeusz Jan Zając said that it would be the responsibility of District Labour Inspectors. He emphasised that they are the persons who - while playing the role of "managers" of labour protection - know what is happening in their territory and on which construction sites there may be the most serious hazards.
The labour inspectorate's inspection and supervisory tasks in construction in 2009 were presented by Teresa Cabała, Director of Occupational Hazards Department at the Chief Labour Inspectorate. She stated that the first visit to a construction site notified to the NLI would be of informational and advisory nature, unless a labour inspector identifies glaring infringements of the law which pose direct danger to life or health. There will be follow up visits on construction sites where special hazards are noticed. Labour inspectors will, first of all, pay attention to proper performance of work at heights and types of used safeguards; they will check correctness of performing earthwork, especially those with the help of construction machinery.
Next, Director of Prevention and Promotion Department Krzysztof Kowalik acquainted the session participants with the topic "Public campaign to support supervisory and preventive actions in construction". An initiative of such type will accompany a preventative programme called "Work safety in construction" implemented by the NLI this year. Informational and educational actions involving the mass media, billboards, press advertisements, local radio and TV stations as well as NLI's publications will be targeted at individual groups of stakeholders in a construction process - investors, architects, employers, construction site managers, foremen as well as rank and file workers. A public campaign, whose objective is to draw attention to the issue of work safety in construction, will be implemented in cooperation with specialised agencies and social partners.
Members of the Chief Labour Inspector's Council for Work Safety in Construction were informed about functioning of similar structures at the regional level. Principal inspector Anetta Ranosz talked about the activity of Commission for Work Safety in Construction at the District Labour Inspectorate in Katowice, and Krzysztof Fiklewicz, the head of Poznań District Labour Inspectorate described achievements of Wielkopolska Council for Work Safety in Construction.
During the discussion, participants of the session spoke about barriers to the development of safe working environment in construction, ways to improve OSH status in this sector of economy, also through increasing the effectiveness of labour inspectorate's activities.
Among others, Waldemar Mazan, Vice-President of Construction and Real Estate Confederation, suggested paying more attention during inspections to renovation works in buildings as well as using a modern tool to communicate with participants of a construction process for the purpose of prevention - Internet chats, especially at the level of NLI's local units. He proposed joint inspections conducted by inspectors from NLI, construction supervision and technical surveillance authorities. Zygmunt Garwoliński from the National Council of Polish Chamber of Construction Engineers mentioned negative effects of construction law liberalisation on safety in construction and talked about the need to restore to technicians the powers to manage construction work. The same issue was raised by Wiktor Piwkowski, President of the Polish Engineers and Construction Technicians Association, who also stressed the necessity to allocate some financial resources from the overall investment budget for labour protection.
It was announced during the meeting that work on the amendment of construction law which will restore the powers to construction technicians has already begun. Another mentioned issue was the need to develop preventative initiatives while using "good practices" developed and tested in the European Union countries. Prevention was mentioned also by Dr Marian Liwo, Deputy Chief Labour Inspector, who spoke towards the end of the meeting. He emphasised its significant role in influencing awareness. He also stated that the NLI has to be supported in its preventative work by employers, investors, contractors, authorities for construction supervision - only then labour inspectorate's actions will be completely effective.
|
