Richard Habgood elected president of ISHCCO

Association for Project Safety (APS) president, Richard Habgood, has been elected president of the International Safety and Health Construction Co-ordinators Organisation (ISHCCO).

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) and the president and directors of the Association for Project Safety (APS) hosted a reception for construction leaders at The Building Centre last week to celebrate Richard Habgood's recent election as the first UK president of the International Safety and Health Construction Co-ordinators Organisation (ISHCCO) for a three year term.

As one of two members nominated by CONIAC (the HSEs Construction Industry Advisory Committee) Richard Habgood is also a member of the CIC Health & Safety Committee; and as CICs West Midlands Regional chair is co-ordinator for the pilot study for the industrial strategy currently being undertaken within the West Midlands.

ISHCCO was created in 2003 by membership associations around the world and there are now 14 national professional bodies in membership of ISHCCO. From its earliest days APS has been involved in representing the UK position on health and safety co-ordination at ISHCCO in response to the Directive that launched the CDM Regulations in 1994. ISHCCOs aims and objectives concern the improvement of construction project safety, the protection of the construction workforce and the effective delivery of health and safety co-ordination through education, training, and professional development.

Since 2010 the APS has been the sole representative of the UK within ISHCCO. At last weeks event Richard said: The UK interpretation of the Directive has always been different to that of the original intent of the Directive when introduced in 1992 and right now we have a third review of the CDM Regulations within the UK and a total review of the Temporary Mobile Construction Sites Directive with both being planned for introduction in 2014.

Speaking at the event, CICs chief executive, Graham Watts, said: As we move to a further period of change with the review of the CDM Regulations planned for 2014, the role of both the CIC and the APS has never been more vital as both a critical friend and as the purveyors of expertise and practical knowledge to the HSE in our mutual efforts to improve the Regulations.

Richard added: My skills now require me to ensure that not only does the UKs planned introduction of new CDM regulations next year maintain adoption of best practice good health and safety risk management, but also for all others that adopt the principles of the Directive, to ensure that nothing is taken away that increases risk to all those engaged in the construction supply chain, and not least the end user as he strives to maintain his structure before eventual demolition.

CIC is the representative forum for the professional bodies, research organisations and specialist trade associations in the construction industry. It provides a single voice for professionals in all sectors of the built environment through its collective membership of 500,000 individual professionals and 25,000 firms of construction consultants.