The HSE’s chief inspector of construction is leaving the organisation after a 26-year career and just 15 months in the top construction role, to take up a new role as director of health, safety and environment at Balfour Beatty.
An HSE spokesman told CM that Philip White, Bryant’s predecessor in the role, would be appointed as interim chief construction inspector. White is currently head of division for operational strategy.
Balfour Beatty’s announcement stressed that Bryant’s challenge would be to raise safety standards on its 750 construction sites across the UK and champion its ongoing “Zero Harm” campaign, which has been running since 2009.
According to the company, it has reduced the amount of time lost to injury in its UK construction business by 35%.
In a statement, Nicholas Pollard, chief executive of Balfour Beatty Construction Services UK, said: “I am looking forward to working with Heather as Balfour Beatty continues on its journey towards Zero Harm. Heather’s extensive experience with the Health and Safety Executive has informed and led industry change. This, together with her passion for occupational health, will encourage us to raise our game further in this area.”
Heather Bryant: Balfour bound
But an experienced H&S specialist questioned whether the appointment of Bryant was really about Balfour Beatty “raising its game”. He commented: “They already have a strong H&S team, this appointment is strategic, it looks good to have a senior HSE person at the helm of your Health and Safety department, and she will know how to respond – by knowing how HSE and Crown Prosecution Service approach prosecutions – if the unthinkable happens.”
He also believes that Bryant’s departure is part of a decline in the number of HSE construction staff. “My own experience… is that it’s due to Fees for Intervention, which is making the front line staff jobs very unfulfilling – they are more like consultants (or traffic wardens) now rather than HM inspectors. Many of the best personnel have been head hunted by industry and those who are left struggle for time to deal with the workload.”
CM has requested figures on the number of HSE construction inspectors.
Added Aug 5th: The HSE has provided figures on the number of "frontline staff" in the Construction Division, which includes Inspectors, Specialist Inspectors and Visiting Officers, who have similar powers to construction inspectors but a less specialised knowledge of the sector.
In 2009/10, on average there were 235 full-time equivalent frontline staff, plus 22 temporary frontline staff.
At March 31 2014, there were 212 full-time equivalent staff, including 11 trainee inspectors recruited around the turn of the calendar year. A further 11 construction inspectors are currently being recruited.
Another health and safety specialist recently told CM that morale within the HSE generally was low, due to the feeling its hands had been tied by the government’s anti red-tape agenda.
As HM Chief Inspector of Construction, leading the construction division for the past 15 months, Bryant was responsible for strategy, policy and field operations across Great Britain and engagement with the construction industry.
Among other roles, she chaired Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC), which forms a link between the HSE and industry practitioners.
Bryant will join Balfour Beatty at the end of September and will be responsible for a team of nearly 100 safety professionals across the UK and Ireland. She will be a member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team.
