Preface xi

Acknowledgements xv

1 Introduction 1

References 4

2 Construction Site Contexts 5

Winning Work 6

Subs of Subs of Subs 8

The Workforce 9

Working Conditions 13

Never work a day in your life … 13

Construction Site Life 14

References 17

3 Safety and Society 21

The Media and its Myths 22

(Mis‐)Interpreting the Legislation 25

Where there’s blame … 28

Safety and Society and Construction Sites 31

Understanding People 32

References 42

4 Safety in Construction 47

Measuring Safety: Accidents and Statistics 48

Cause and Effect 51

Safety Management Systems 55

Competence 58

Training 61

Personal Protective Equipment 66

References 73

5 Just a Bit Unsafe? 77

The Legislative Lexicon 77

Safe/Unsafe 83

Safety and Unsafety 88

Safety and Risk 94

Acknowledgements 104

References 104

6 Safety versus Work and Work versus Safety 107

The Non‐Productive 107

Segregation and Integration 111

Problems of Production 114

Production in Practice 116

References 121

7 Engagement and Enforcement 123

Engaging with Safety 124

Safety Propaganda 129

Enforcing Safety 134

Rules Made to be Broken? 138

A Hierarchy of Safety: Responsibility and Ownership 142

Acknowledgements 148

References 148

8 Counting Down to Zero 151

Target Zero: Theories and Thinking 152

Brand Zero 156

Zero in Practice 159

Measuring Zero: Non‐Accident Statistics 161

Achieving Zero 163

Acknowledgements 169

References 169

9 Constructing Safety on Sites 171

What is Safety on Site? 172

Site Safety Culture 177

Putting it into Practice 181

References 187

10 Reflections 189

Index 191

Fred Sherratt Ph D MCIOB C.Build E MCABE FHEA has worked in the UK construction industry for over 13 years, starting as a site secretary and working up through the ranks, via the planning function, to site management. She is now a researcher and Senior Lecturer in Construction Management at Anglia Ruskin University.