Essay on a current Health and Safety issue Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

On a current Health and Safety issue - Essay Example For example, statistics indicates that in the 2002-03 periods, 71 of the 226 workers that were fatally injured during the course of their jobs in the UK were construction workers (Akintoye et al., 2000). The figure represents an astonishing 31 percent that is the highest proportion of all the sectors of the UK economy. Other than the fatal injuries reported, a myriad of other minor injuries were reported by more than 4780, which is over three times higher than the average reported by other sectors of the economy. Even though the incidental risks are still high, all signs indicate that there are significant improvements in the industry particularly in the conditions at the site of the construction. The positive signs are backed by the report undertaken by Lord Youngs for the government that espouses the issues related to the health and safety of the construction industry. The report published on 20th of October 2010 asserts that the working conditions in the construction sites have been on a radicle improvement when the last 20 years are taken into consideration. For instance, these improved working conditions have resulted in over 5 percent reduction in the numbers of the reported injuries and deaths in the construction industry since 2001 (Hale et al., 2012). Despite the significant improvements in the conditions of the construction sites, the raging debate has always focused on who should shoulder the responsibility for the health and safety in the construction industry. The paper critically appraises and evaluates three statements that aim at establishing where such responsibility should lie. The critical appraisal of each statement is aided by the information that is cons trued from the Acts of Parliament of the UK and other health and safety regulations in the UK that are deemed appropriate for each case. The first quote to illustrate is the National Audit Office (NAO) report that is entitled Improving Health and Safety in the Construction