As the evenings get darker, housebuilder, Linden Homes is warning children in Bicester about the dangers of building sites. The award-winning developer visited St Edburg’s School in Bicester this month to discuss the importance of safety on building sites.
The visit comes as construction work continues on a series of new and exciting properties at the Linden Homes’ Hawkswood development, which is situated just over a mile away from the primary school.
Up to three children die every year on construction sites in Britain and many more are injured as a result of accidents. According to statistics from the Health and Safety Executive, over 80 children have been seriously injured in building site accidents in the last decade. In 2013/14 (the worst period in the UK for five years), there were 31 reported accidents.
With the dark night’s drawing in, the dangers associated with playing on a construction site increase and whilst machines, trucks and building materials may look fun and exciting for children, much of the machinery remains onsite overnight and there could be serious consequences if they came into the hands of children.
Phil Brady, the construction director for Linden Homes was keen to reiterate that building sites are no playground:
“Making sure all our sites are secure is a number one priority for us at Linden Homes. With the Hawkswood development being situated so close to St Edburg’s school it was important for us to educate the young children on the dangers of visiting the site unsupervised.”
“The underlying message was that whilst they may look appealing, construction sites are often hazardous which is why holding regular safety talks such as this one is important.”
“It was a pleasure visiting the school, the staff were fantastic and the children were extremely well behaved throughout - we hope they learnt a lot and will put their high vis jackets to good use!”
Ivor Goodsite joined the Linden Homes team to help deliver the message. The Considerate Constructor mascot presented a talk to over 65 children where he reiterated the importance of staying safe. Pupils were delighted to receive fun packs and photos with Ivor in there high-vis jackets which concluded the day’s proceedings.
Margaret Kunzer the headteacher at St Edburg’s, was delighted with how well the visit went:
“The visit from Linden Homes was a huge success. The children really took to Ivor and I could see them hanging on his every word which is a huge testament to him and the Linden team. With the Hawkswood development just around the corner, it’s so important that the children are made aware of the risks.”
“We are looking forward to continue to work with Linden Homes on safety around the site and hope to launch a road safety competition soon.”
For more information about Hawkswood, call 01869 722 625. Alternatively, you can visit our sales and marketing suite, which is open from 10am to 5pm every day.
-ENDS-
Media can contact Fotini Efstathiou or Ryan Johnston at Remarkable Group on 01962 893893 for more information, images and interviews with Linden Homes.
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