Take some responsibility …

Surely this is the equivalent of blaming the purchaser of a car – to use that rather worn analogy – for working conditions on the assembly line?”

If the purchaser of a car bought that car because it was cheaper, knowing that the manufacturer used child labour in sweatshop conditions rather than paying extra for a car made using well-paid labour in a clean, modern, well-equipped factory, would they not be to blame for perpetuating the use of child labour and sweatshops?

Aren’t drug users responsible for high crime rates in inner cities, drug barons and drug smuggling? If they didn’t use drugs, then they wouldn’t commit crimes to pay for their habit and nobody would grow, smuggle or sell drugs. Doesn’t that make them responsible?

It’s easy for “one-off” clients to duck their responsibilities by saying “we didn't know” or “we employed professionals so it's their responsibility”.

If Minogue’s argument is translated into society in general with everyone saying “not me guv” then where would we be?

Lawyers are very good at helping their clients evade their moral responsibilities and so we have a construction industry culture of maximising profit while paying lip service to health and safety, with disasters such as Hatfield as the result.

Ken Dunning, Burntwood, Staffordshire… and trust in a friend.

Ann Minogue is overlooking the proposed role of the co-ordinator. The Health and Safety Executive has presented this role as “the client’s best friend” and although I suspect most clients in construction might just have a better friend than a co-ordinator, the ethos behind the term is correct. If I interpret the proposals for the CDM Regulations 2006 correctly, then yes, the client has (rightfully) acquired significant duties – after all, the client is king.

However, the regulations recognise that there may well be clients who are not familiar with the duties imposed upon them. Regulation 13(1)(a) states the function of the co-ordinator is to “advise and assist the client in undertaking the measures he needs to take to comply with these regulations”.

The proposed changes to CDM Regulations go some way to both recognising the dominant role of a client and respecting the need to provide credible support.