Regional builder sets safety example

6:02am Wednesday 14th March 2007

THE North-East division of building company Wates Construction is to have its health and safety procedures adopted as a national example of good practice following its outstanding safety record last year.

Over the past 12 months, and in excess of 270,000 working hours on site, the firm, based in Team Valley, Gateshead, has only had one minor accident on its building sites across the region.

Dave Smith, managing director for the construction division and chief operating officer for the Wates Group, said the region's record was so impressive it will be adopted as an illustration of national best practice.

"We give the teams tough regulations to follow, and in the past 12 months, the North-East division has shone through with its health and safety performance," he said.

Wates has now launched a poster campaign publicising minimum standards of excellence on the sites to ensure its standards remain high, including a poem about helping others stay safe.

Alan Maskell, regional business manager at the Team Valley office, whose current projects include overseeing the renovation of Newcastle's Tyneside Cinema, said: "Not a company to rest on our laurels when doing well, we have introduced a zero-tolerance campaign to safety and we will be doing all we can to have no accidents over the next year."