With the breathtaking pace of construction projects and the volume of activity going on in the Middle East, the safety of personnel has become a key concern in the construction industry in the region, says a spokesman for Ireland-based Sturdy Products.

"Amongst the major industries, the death toll and injury recorded in the construction sector is unacceptably high, with workers in the construction industry accounting for almost a third of the fatal accidents and 16 per cent of reported major accidents," says the spokesman.
"When statistics like these are quoted, it is all too easy to forget that behind them are real people, good honest hard-working people. For their sake, the health and safety performance of the construction industry must improve. Even if these humanitarian considerations were not enough, there are also sound business and economic reasons to address this problem," he says.
He adds: "Accidents are one of the significant contributors to the cost in the construction industry. There is plenty of evidence to show that good health and safety is an integral part of an efficiently-run site operation.
"Employers are legally obliged to minimise the risk of injury by taking reasonable care and addressing the health and safety of their employees. General contractors and also the sub-contractors are required, to provide a safe site, to warn of the hazards inherent on the site, and to co-ordinate job safety. An important part of this role is to supervise compliance with best safety practice, including ensuring that the equipment on site is safe and 'fit for the purpose intended'."
"Such responsibility for safety extends to mortar tubs as well - especially when considering the damage half tonne of mortar falling 100 ft in the air could do to people. This is the reason why Sturdy Products has been pro-active in assuring good practice and safe standards through information and specification. With the growing use of craneable mortar tubs in the Middle East, it highlights the need to ensure the proper safe products are used," he points out.
For many years, Sturdy Products has taken the lead, with the support of major players in the industry, to establish product specification and standards. "Specification and standards are all very well but they must be certified on an ongoing basis," says John Hanlon, Sturdy Products managing director. "The difference between one-off test certificates versus products certification is sometimes not appreciated. Any unscrupulous manufacturer can make a one-off strong product, have it tested and produce a test certificate. Such tests only stand to confirm that a single product passed a test.
"What is needed is independent on-going product and production certification," says Hanlon."Ongoing random testing and traceability gives contract managers and safety officers peace of mind in knowing that each and every tub is consistently manufactured to a set specification."
According to him, every mortar tub purchaser should insist on receiving (at a minimum) a copy of certain documentation, which includes:
•  Specification to which the product is manufactured to;
•  What test regime has the product passed;
•  Who certifies the product on an ongoing basis;
•  What level of Product Liability Insurance is available with the product;
•  Are there fully traceable records available; and
•  Does the manufacturer supply user instructions and risk assessment procedures for the product.
Ongoing independent product certification gives users peace of mind and in addition, helps protect the health and safety of all construction workers, the spokesman concludes.