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Benchmarking our safety performance

We benchmark our safety performance against industry norms in the construction and rail sectors. In the UK, Germany, USA and Hong Kong our performance compares favourably with those external norms.

UK Safety Benchmarking

Within the UK, we benchmark our safety performance against the published industry statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). We compare very favourably with the UK industry norms for fatal, major and all reportable injuries.

Comparison of UK Injuries and Fatalities

Rates per 100,000 employees (direct & indirect)	2006	2005	2004	2003	2002	HSE’s construction industry norm (2005-6)
All reported injuries	668	819	883	1,050	1,152	945*
Non-fatal major injuries	240	239	205	224	255	310.2*
Fatalities	0	0	0	6.7	8.3	3.0

* HSE statistics 05/06 not yet available

All reported injury rate: our rate fell to 668 per 100,000 employees (direct and indirect), from 819 in 2005. Since 2002 there has been a 42% improvement in our all reported injury rate. This compares very favourably with the reported HSE rate for the construction sector of 945 (this HSE figure has not been adjusted for widespread under-reporting). Our 2006 all injury rate is 29% less than the HSE’s rate for the construction sector.

Fatal injury rate: our rate is once again recorded as zero in 2006, as it was in 2005 and 2004. The HSE norm for the construction sector is 3.0 for 2005-6.

Non-fatal major injury rate: our rate has risen slightly to 240 per 100,000 employees. This is still well below the construction sector rate of 310.2 and has improved by 6% generally since 2002.

Comparison of UK Convictions and Enforcement Notices

Rates per 100,000 employees (direct & indirect)	2006	2005	2004	2003	2002	HSE’s construction norm 05/6*
Convictions	4.2	4.9	6	2.3	3	15.2
Enforcement notices	6.3	5	6	25	28	126.4*

* HSE statistics 05/06 not yet available

Enforcement notices rate: our rate of 6.3 per 100,000 employees is considerably lower than the industry average of 126.4*.

Rate of convictions: our rate has fallen once again since 2004 and again is lower than the industry average for 2004/2005.  Both sets of figures are published by HSE.

Other UK benchmarks

We are also able to make comparisons with other industry norms.  For example the British Safety Council publishes an average All Accident Incidence Rate of 901.9* for the Construction Industry, compared to our UK rate of 668.3, 26% better.

Stent Foundations recorded an Annual Incident Rate (AIR) of 21.4, which is 22% better than the Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS) rate of 27.6.

In the UK Mechanical and Electrical Sector, Balfour Kilpatrick and Haden Young both recorded accident incident rates which are at least 60% better than the sector average, published in the BSRIA Report 2006 (BSRIA is a leading consultancy, test and research organisation for the Construction Industry).

Performance against UK Industry Targets

The UK Government's Revitalising Health and Safety initiative challenged all industries to improve the incidence rate of fatal and major injury accidents by 5% between 2000 and 2004 but also challenged industry to improve 10% by 2010. From 2002 to 2006 the improvement in our UK fatal and major injury accidents incident rate was 6% placing us on track to exceed those targets.

The construction industry and the Major Contractors’ Group (MCG) committed to reduce the incident rate of all reportable injuries by 10% year on year from 2000; therefore 2006 statistics should provide a 57% reduction on incident rates. 

Discounting the significant joint venture businesses and projects, at the end of 2006 the Group achieved 54% improvement on its 2000 base rate, whilst UK operations improved 50%.  US operations improved by 74%.

Pre-2000 operating companies therefore continued to operate close to the MCG targets and this performance was largely supported by the acquisition of the new businesses.

Europe

In Germany, Balfour Beatty Rail Power Systems recorded an 87% improvement on the Berufsgenossenschaft der Feinmechanik und Elektrotechnik (BGFE) risk category 14. The average rate for 2005 was 86. (BGFE rate for 2006 is not yet available).

US

In the US, Balfour Beatty Construction Inc achieved an Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) recordable injury rate, which was 50% lower than the industry average for all US recordable injuries.  Additionally, their OSHA lost time rate was 80% lower than the industry average.

Heery International Inc achieved an OSHA total recordable injury rate (per 100 employees) of 0.76, 88% better than the industry average of 6.3.

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, Gammon Construction recorded an incident rate (per 1,000 workers) of 0.23, 86% better than the industry average of 1.69 for all Hong Kong Public Works Contracts.

Benchmarking data is not readily available in other countries.

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