HSE praises health and safety at shipbuilders

A shipbuilder has been praised for its health and safety standards after it was visited by the chair of a standards watchdog.

Judith Hackitt of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) headed to Rosyth Shipyard in Scotland earlier in the week (March 6th) in order to see the work being carried out at the site.

She met with senior members of the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) at the location and heard about the role health and safety is playing in the construction of aircraft carriers HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.

After her visit at Rosyth Shipyard came to an end, Ms Hackitt was full of praise about the way health and safety is viewed at the site.

"It is encouraging to see the commitment to create a safe work environment for the whole project team at Rosyth," she said, noting it is seen as an integral part of the scheme, rather than as an add-on by the company.

"Strong leadership on health and safety is essential on projects of this scale and encouraging workers to take ownership of health and safety promotes a spirit of teamwork and co-operation," Ms Hackitt added.

The Fife shipyard underwent a large-scale redevelopment in order to deal with the project of the assembly of the ships, with the work including new cranes and dock redevelopment.

On her visit to the location, Ms Hackitt was also told about an ACA initiative called Proud to be Safe, which encourages workers to take pride in health and safety in the workplace.

Last month, the chair of the HSE headed to the Stanlow Oil Refinery in Ellesmere Port - a site that is classified as a top tier facility under COMAH regulations - and praised the health and safety standards at the site, with the work at the facility to train young apprentices earning particular compliments from Ms Hackitt.