CEMEX UK is calling on the construction industry to join the Construction Logistics and Community Safety scheme.

The aggregates, cement, ready-mixed concrete and rail sleepers supplier has joined forces with RoadPeace, a national charity for road crash victims, to produce a video aimed at the construction industry, highlighting the reasons why the CLOCS scheme is so important.

There are now more than 600 CLOCS champions from the construction industry but, with almost 300,000 construction companies working within the UK, the two organisations say it is clear that many more still need to join.

Around 500 pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users are killed or seriously injured each year, on our roads, by HGVs. The CLOCS standard seeks to reduce this in three ways:

1. By reducing the imbalance between on-site health and safety and work-related road risk

2. By encouraging wider adoption of best practice across the logistics industry

3. By improving the safety of vehicles.

Andy Taylor, Health and Safety Director at CEMEX UK, said: “We are delighted to be involved in this video and would encourage everyone in our industry who isn’t a member of CLOCS to become members.

"Over the years, the construction industry has shown great commitment and done an excellent job of raising health and safety standards on sites. Now it is time to go beyond the sites themselves to roads and site access to raise the level of safety by sharing best practice and implementing innovation and change.”

To further demonstrate the need for CLOCS, RoadPeace is giving a voice to people who have been injured or bereaved by construction vehicles, as part of this campaign.

Victoria Lebrec, RoadPeace spokesperson and a victim of a construction lorry crash, said: “In 2014 my life changed forever when I was hit by a tipper truck whilst cycling in London. I lost my leg in the collision, and have had over 12 operations and months of physiotherapy. I urge all construction companies to join up to CLOCS and take on board some simple, effective methods to make their vehicles safer. If signing up means saving someone the pain I went through, then it is absolutely worth it.”

Derek Rees, from CLOCS, said: “I am delighted that RoadPeace and CEMEX UK have joined forces to create a hard-hitting video calling on others within the sector to join up to the scheme. As an industry, the construction sector takes health and safety on site really seriously. But very few clients, principal contractors and sub-contractors seem to recognise their legal and moral responsibilities for the vehicles servicing their sites. As soon as that lorry leaves the site the same rules don’t seem to apply.

"The CLOCS scheme is a way of introducing workable solutions which help everyone in the industry protect the wider community, their colleagues and themselves.”

You can watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNnH76wIu2w&feature=youtu.be.