Painters in the construction field have the rare skill of being artistically and technically skilled at the same time. Unfortunately, the fact that their job takes them up ladders and scaffolds on a regular basis also means that they are injured and killed far too often.
Too Many Stories of Construction Accidents – Why a Construction NVQ can HelpMany will recall the warning the HSE gave to painters in 2005; “Get it right when working at height.” At that time, reports were released that showed that over a 5 year period, from 2000 to 2005, over 800 painters were seriously injured while working. Sadly, the numbers have not dropped much since then, even after the HSE became involved. Painters are still being injured from falls off of scaffolding or ladders—even at heights as low as 2 meters.
All over the Internet you will find terrible stories of accidents or deaths that could easily have been prevented through proper safety procedures. A certain amount of blame goes to the companies as a whole, but each individual worker must also be held accountable. Each worker should make sure that they have the proper training and certifications to ensure the safety of themselves and everyone they are working with.
Why a Painting NVQ Makes a DifferenceWhile many painters roll their eyes at the mention of a Painting NVQ, it truly does make a difference. If you are making little errors here and there that could potentially lead to big ones later, the assessor for your level 2 NVQ in Painting will catch it. The whole point of the Painting NVQ assessment is to make sure that you are doing everything properly on the job; this includes safety techniques as well as skills and abilities.
You deserve to know that your jobsite is safe and secure—if you didn’t personally set up the scaffolding, can you rest assured that the person who did is properly trained? This is why it is so important for companies to push every employee to obtain a construction NVQ. If every worker is carrying an NVQ in construction, you are all on the same page, you all have the same expectations, and you can all trust that you are safe in each others’ hands.
While a Painting NVQ cannot stop an inevitable accident from occurring, it can significantly reduce the risk by ensuring that every worker is properly trained and will not make ignorant mistakes. Your life as well as the lives of your co-workers are what is at stake—the time it takes to obtain your NVQ in Painting is definitely more than worth it.
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