Construction minister to use health and safety criteria to vet contractors bidding for government work.
Contractors with poor health and safety records could lose government work under procurement guidance issued by construction minister Brian Wilson this week.

Wilson, was due to make the announcement at the Working Well Together conference, a follow-up to the industry's safety summit in February.

The initiative ratchets up the pressure on construction companies, which have been under intense pressure since the Health and Safety Executive issued figures in June showing that deaths had risen 25%.

  The document sets out the criteria that public sector clients must use to assess contractors, and top of the list is a good safety record.

Wilson said that the Office of Government Commerce document, Achieving Excellence Through Health and Safety, insisted that government departments and agencies take the lead in best practice procurement to improve safety.

He said the OGC would publish an annual report of the health and safety performance of public sector bodies.

Health and safety minister Nick Raynsford told Building that there was still a long way to go in improving health and safety within construction, despite the progress made since February, when deputy prime minister John Prescott said the industry had to get its act together or face punitive action.

He said: "The industry must look towards senior management to take responsibility for health and safety at all the stages of the construction process."

He said the OGC procurement guide had been launched to ensure that all government departments set an example of good practice.

Wilson also urged clients to sign up to the clients' charter, which commits them to use best health and safety practice in design and on site. He said clients must learn that squeezing prices or completion dates too hard led to corner-cutting, and that led in turn to deaths, injuries and ill health.

He challenged manufacturers, architects, engineers and specialist contractors to work in teams and put aside adversarial approaches to work. He also urged them to take a personal interest in the health and safety of all their employees and to create a no-blame culture.

Wilson said people were the industry's greatest asset and that it was up to the industry to show that they were valued.

He said: "The industry needs to take steps now to ensure that the workforce is equipped with the skills to meet demand and to make the profession attractive to potential new entrants."

The Health and Safety Executive is also singling out smaller contractors by sending out 20,000 pocket-sized health and safety booklets. These will present health and safety legislation and advice in an accessible form.