The principal contractor

Accidents do not happen in the client's boardroom or in the design office – when the planning and design are completed it is the principal contractor, if there is more than one contractor, who is responsible for the safe execution of the construction works.

The Health and Safety Executive has recognised that there is a disproportionate incidence of accidents on small construction sites. This can be explained by the fact that large national contractors have continued to invest in health and safety management commensurate with a general improvement in the recognition by boards of directors of the need to improve corporate governance. However, the large contractors are not immune from prosecution, and constant attention to avoid complacency is a continuing challenge.