Young People Reminded To Stay Safe During Summer Break

The contractor for the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project, Scottish Roads Partnership (SRP), is reminding young people in North and South Lanarkshire to ‘Stay Safe’ during the summer holiday and to stay away from the on-going construction works.

Construction machinery, unstable land, heavy goods vehicles and open excavations are just some of the typical hazards that could be encountered on a construction site.

SRP General Manager, Gabriel Valtueña-Ramos, said: “We are a responsible company and as such the safety of the local community, road users and our workforce is of paramount importance to us.

“A construction site could be seen as an attractive place for young people to explore, especially as the summer holidays are upon us. Therefore, we are reminding young people of the inherent dangers that exist within live construction sites and are urging them to stay safe by staying away.”

The project’s Health and Safety Manager, Lesley Baird, said: “Construction sites often attract children as they look like huge adventure playgrounds, but that couldn’t be further from the truth – sites often have unseen dangers and although we ensure they are secured with fencing, children can still find ways onto them if they try hard enough.

“The M8 M73 M74 site is vast and borders many of the local communities across North and South Lanarkshire, therefore we would like to remind parents, guardians and carers to warn their children and to encourage them to stay away from the site.”

SRP has produced a Health & Safety poster as a reminder of the inherent nature of live construction sites which is displayed on site as well as on the Transport Scotland website.

Ms Baird, added: “We barrier off or cover over excavations and pipes and ensure vehicles and heavy plant are secured and keys are removed to immobilize them. However, sudden changes in the weather, like bursts of heavy rain, can create muddy pools which can be deep, as well as other possible hazards.

“We maintain a policy of ‘Looking for an Incident Free Environment’ (LIFE), which we promote heavily across our sites, but while everything is being done to make these areas safe, we also need parents to play their part.”

Construction of the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project will remain fully operational during the holiday period, and where no work is taking place the site will be secured using a variety of methods, including on site security and fencing.

When complete, the M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project will significantly reduce congestion across the central Scotland motorway network, as well as improve the travel time reliability between the main route of Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Road users travelling on the new M8 between the two cities will benefit by shaving almost 20 minutes off the daily commute, while 15 minutes will be saved travelling through the new Raith Junction.