York pupils put on hard hats for safety lessons

Children from Clifton Green Primary School, Kingsway North, Clifton, York, learned important safety lessons during their visit to a local housing development organised by Lovell.

On Thursday, 19 January, two groups of eight- and nine-year-olds were shown round the new homes being built by Lovell in Lilbourne Drive, Clifton, York, for City of York Council.

Back, Lovell site manager Dave Morris (left) and Lovell regional health and safety advisor Matthew Jarvis. Front, left to right, Clifton Green Primary School pupils Joan Thomas, Callum Reeson, Stacie May and Joeline Selvakumar.

Lovell regional training advisor Sharon Tyer says: “Ensuring everyone’s safety is a priority for us and events like this help children learn about the potential dangers associated with construction activity so that they understand that building sites should never be viewed as places to play. It’s a serious subject but by interacting with the children and getting them involved we help them understand the issues, learn about the construction industry and ensure they take this vital safety message on board.”

As well as visiting the site, where Lovell is building 19 two- and three-bedroom homes, the children took part in a health and safety themed quiz and tried on construction safety gear such as gloves and goggles. Lovell has also launched a poster competition for the children, inviting them to design a poster warning other children about the dangers of construction activity.

The new homes at Lilbourne Drive use highly energy-efficient technology, including electricity-generating solar photovoltaic panels, and are being built to Level 5 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, one of the highest levels of the system for assessing properties’ environmental performance. The 19 new houses, due to be completed in 2012, will be for social rent through City of York Council.