From here

The race to complete venues for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi has cost the lives of at least 10 construction workers, while hundreds have been injured.

The Sunday Times reported that after one labourer, Shailendra Kumar, 28, was killed by a falling crane, there were two days of violent protests by those working to build the athletes’ village. Kumar was said to have warned his employers the crane was in dangerous condition.

The Commonwealth Games Federation has denied any responsibility for safety at the 19 sites. Michael Hooper, its chief executive, said he had no comment about workers’ deaths or health and safety.

"You need to talk to the relevant authorities. Each country has its own health and safety rules and monitoring system," he said.

Am alone in finding the abrogation of any responsibility for Health & Safety at the Commonwealth Games Sites by the Games Federation and Michael Hooper extremely distasteful?

The Games Federation made a decision to hold the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. The process of choosing the host is not a lottery. Inherent in making the decision must be some reflection on the delivery of suitable venues and construction practices in the host city. It cannot be acceptable that a client chooses to ignore H&S records or practices that would not be acceptable in the UK.

For the 2012 Olympic Games, the ODA's stated aims on health and safety is to be "extremely intrusive" in ensuring best practice is embedded through out its supply chains. If the ODA can lead with such an example, why is it that the Commonwealth Games Federation can wash it's hands of Health and Safety for the 2010 Games? Different Clients behave differently? Or is life cheaper in India?

You make very good points Minder. It's astonishing that the Commonwealth Games Federation appears to have washed its hands of any responsibility.

I also wonder how many construction workers died during the construction of the Beijing Olympics venues. Probably many more than 10 I suspect.

Had the IOC/Commonwealth Games Fed taken a wander round a typical construction site in Beijing or in Delhi, they might have had more concerns about health and safety during the building of the venues.

Or maybe there were enough yens or rupees stuffed in their top pockets for them not to care.

I agree that it is not good enough that the ceo of the games can seemingly wash his hands and have no comment about workers deaths.

That simply is not good enough.

But the brutal truth about health and safety on construction sites in India is that it does not exist in a form that would be recognisable here.

Thats not to say that H&S does not exist at all in India because it does - but in their own way. The same can be said for China / Africa / middle east.

Some of the things I have seen in these countries - well in some cases they defeated my UK educated H&S mindset's ability to comprehend what I was seeing.

But before we get all holier than thou, its perhaps worth remembering that the famous photograph of the steel erectors having lunch on a steel beam 800' up in the air in New York was taken only 77 years ago.

 steam boss

steam boss:

But the brutal truth about health and safety on construction sites in India is that it does not exist in a form that would be recognisable here.

Very true. I can't help thinking that's why so many UK firms have expanded into the Middle East and elsewhere round the world, because when you can cut corners like that on safety, it probably boosts your margins!

Anyway, here's that famous photograph - still makes me go queasy...

To be fair to the big UK outfits they do try very hard with H&S in the middle east and it is a difficult subect if the guys you are trying to train have never had any exposure to safe working practices.

But compared to the local contractors the UK outfits spend a bloody fortune on it, and I have to say that Carillion, LOR, BB, Kier, etc should be congratulated for the efforts they put into keeping their people safe.

Of course there are other incentives for not killing any of your workers in the middle east - instant arrest by the police (forget HSE type investigations go straight to jail - do not pass go) and the blood money - I think its currently AED 200K per man.

steam boss