THE region's construction industry safety record came under the spotlight with the visit of a safety bus yesterday.
The Working Well Together bus, set up by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), visited two Corus sites on Teesside to drive home the message about safety at work.
Part of a national campaign by the construction industry to cut the number of deaths on construction sites, the bus visited Corus' Lackenby and Redcar sites.
Workers calling at the bus were given information to help them work safely at heights, reduce the risk of transport accidents, avoid skin problems such as dermatitis and cement burns, and avoid back injuries and hearing problems.
Bill McKay, the Health and Safety Executive's North-East principal construction inspector, said: "Eight workers were killed in 2001/2 in the region, the largest number for many years, and this is a very disturbing figure.
"Two workers have been killed in construction accidents since April this year. The touring bus took the Working Well Together message directly to the people who need it most - construction workers, site managers, designers and clients."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article