Question reference: S5W-08686
- Asked by: Ross Thomson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 5 April 2017
-
Current status: Answered by Keith Brown on 25 April 2017
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the report in The Press and Journal on 3 April 2017 that 115 workers on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) project have been injured; what additional (a) costs and (b) delays to the project have arisen as a result of these injuries; what discussions it has had with union representatives about this, and what action Transport Scotland has taken to (i) investigate the reasons for the rate of injury and (ii) ensure that robust health and safety procedures are introduced.
Answer
The Scottish Government takes Health and Safety issues very seriously which is reflected in the obligations placed upon Aberdeen Roads Limited (ARL), the project contractor.
ARL holds regular safety stand-downs, both planned and ad-hoc, in order to ensure safe working on site. ARL recognises and engages with onsite union representatives on a regular basis. Union trained and appointed workforce safety representatives routinely attend safety meetings, and several have also been trained as safety coaches in the project's behavioural safety programme. This reinforces and supports a culture in which the right behaviours are expected.
Any injury is regrettable and in order to avoid any reoccurrence, Transport Scotland ensures that ARL reports, records and fully investigates all work related health and safety incidents, or potential incidents, however minor. Lessons learned are subsequently shared to ensure continuous improvements.
Of the 115 injuries that have occurred from project commencement to 16 March 2017, 27 were “Lost Time” Injuries, and 88 were “non-Lost Time “ injuries.
While each incident has a localised cost and delay associated, this has not been quantified by ARL. Instead their focus is on ensuring that the potential for a future incident is eliminated at source. ARL has confirmed that these incidents have had no impact upon overall project delivery.
Transport Scotland will continue to work closely with ARL to ensure that this project is delivered safely and that all the necessary steps are being taken to protect and monitor workforce safety at each stage of project delivery.