Even though on a daily basis they compete for contracts and clients, there is one matter that has been uniting construction companies in Poland for years. It is safety. The construction industry in Poland takes the lead when it comes to inglorious accident statistics. Therefore, general contractors decided to act together. It is now that their greatest common initiative is in progress – Safety Week, which will take place from 8 to 14 May. 
 
According to the data of the Central Statistical Office of Poland, for years now, industrial processing and construction industries have been in the lead when it comes to the number of work accidents. According to the CSO, last year the construction industry, which is considered to be one of the most dangerous, recorded nearly 5.5 thousand accidents, of which 51 were fatal. Data implies that in comparison with last year’s statistics the number of accidents in Poland unfortunately increased and every fifth fatal accident occured at a construction site. 
 
Safety Week 
 
To turn these shocking statistics, back in 2010 the leading general contractors established the Agreement for Safety in Construction. Currently it unites as many as 12 companies, Occupational Health and Safety leaders in the industry: Budimex, Erbud, Hochtief Polska, Karmar, Mostostal Warszawa, Mota-Engil, Polimex-Mostostal, PORR Polska Infrastructure, Skanska, Strabag, Unibep, Warbud. 
 
- The Safety Week is a great and important event in the construction industry in Poland. Over 30 thousand of our employees and employees of our sub-contractors participated in previous editions on construction sites all across Poland. The theme of this year’s week is: „Safety – Pass it on!” – says Michał Wasilewski, Coordinator of the Agreement for Safety in Construction. – During these 7 days, the employees will participate in hundreds of trainings and shows. Safety gear presentations as well as training with the Fire Department, Police and meetings with representatives of the State Labour Inspectorate are all very popular among the participants. The investors and managers of construction facilities take active part in the Safety Week as well. This is a great opportunity to organize workshops and field exercise. 
 
It is already the fourth time that the founders of the Agreement have organized the Safety Week. As every year, it is accompanied by numerous activities, such as: gear presentation, trainings, exercises, lectures, for instance site evacuation by the Fire Department, first aid trainings, safe unloading on site exercises, etc.  
 
Agreement for Safety in Construction 
 
Twelve contractors, forming the Agreement for Safety in Construction have come together to introduce a range of system solutions in the area of Occupational Health and Safety applicable to all its members. These include among others: Standards for minimum requirements towards subcontractors, Appendix to subcontracting agreements regarding Occupational Health and Safety, guidelines to the Safe Works Manual, periodical trainings for employees, the obligation to use protective glasses on each site and the Safety Week as such – our largest, annual, common initiative for occupational safety on the Polish market. 
 
The latest project of the Agreement, executed in cooperation with the Social Insurance Institution, consisted in free-of-charge periodical trainings in Occupational Health and Safety organized for small and medium-sized construction companies operating on the Polish market. Trainings, which were held from November 2016, were developed based on experiences of general contractors – members of the Agreement. The training programme was adjusted to fit with the needs of the construction industry, while the topic covered line and building investments. Trainings were fully financed by the Social Insurance Institution from funds intended for prevention. 
 
The activity of the Agreement is supported by the State Labour Inspectorate, the Polish Association of Construction Engineers and Technicians, “Budowlani” Trade Union, Polish Association of Construction Employers and the Polish Chamber of Construction Engineers. The Agreement is open to new representatives from the construction industry who wish to act to improve construction safety. Since 2016 the works of the Agreement have been led by Warbud, with two-year presidency that was preceded by Skanska and Budimex.