NFB Rolls out National Campaign to Keep Children Safe this Summer

NFB warns public of fatal risks as school holidays get underway

The National Federation of Builders (NFB) has launched a major campaign to warn children about the dangers of playing on and around building sites in a bid to reduce the number of child accidents.

According to statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 16 children have been killed and more than 800 injured in the past ten years as a direct result of playing on building sites.

The NFB, which represents more than 2,000 contractors across the UK, has launched the campaign, aimed at parents, care givers and children, to raise awareness of the potential dangers.

The campaign, supported by the HSE, will see warning posters, designed by primary school children and based on the campaign motto �Stay Safe�Stay Away�, distributed across the UK.

The posters will be issued to thousands of building sites and sent to community centres, play schemes, sports facilities and swimming pools throughout the summer.

Angela Dyrdal, regional services manager for the National Federation of Builders, said: "We are now well into the summer holiday season, a time when accidents involving children on and around building sites tend to be at their highest. This is the ideal time to reiterate this important message and possibly save lives.

"Our campaign is designed to make sure all children, parents and other care providers, such as community centres, are aware of the risks. It is also vital that builders and contractors carry out thorough risk assessments, as this simple process can help reduce the risk of accidents if a child does gain access to their site."

The NFB has produced the following checklist to help businesses assess the risks on their site:

  1. Ensure boundary fencing is as secure as possible and discourages access. Make sure there are no weaknesses or gaps in the fencing that a child could use to gain access.
  2. Make sure there are no stacks of materials alongside fencing that could be used to provide access to the site.
  3. Secure any temporary storage areas.
  4. Stacks of bricks, concrete blocks or timber are a temptation for children. Make sure these are solidly secured so there is no potential for collapse.
  5. Prevent access to any scaffolding structures.
  6. Look out for any children attempting to gain access during the working day.
  7. Remove any potentially dangerous machinery from the site if possible or lock it away out of sight at the end of a working day.
  8. Secure or lock away building materials, such as cement.
  9. Remove ladders or stacks of materials that could be used to gain access to structures.

Angela Dyrdal added: "The sad fact is that many of the accidents that take place on building sites could be prevented by simply talking to children about the dangers.

"By warning of potential hazards and encouraging contractors to take the time to ensure their site and its contents are secure, we can all help to reduce the number of incidents involving children."

To request copies of the �Stay Safe�Stay Away� poster or the HSE children�s publication �Stay Safe� with pull out poster and stickers, please contact the National Federation of Builders on 01609 767 320.

ENDS August 2005

Issued on behalf of the National Federation of Builders by Citypress PR. Press Information: Marianne Olsson or Martin Currie, Citypress PR.

Tel: 0161 60 60 260 or Marianne@citypress.co.uk.