The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has launched publications for both employers and employees as a guide to working in the local construction industry, in response to the increasing number of workers who have moved to Northern Ireland from abroad.

Like many other industries, construction has seen an increase in the use of migrant labour, a trend that has increased with the expansion of the European Union (EU). As a result the industry needs to tackle the challenge of a diverse and multi-lingual workforce and in particular to address health and safety requirements for all workers.

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The publications, developed by CITB, and produced in partnership with Construction Employers Federation (CEF), Equality Commission and NI Council for Ethnic Minorities (NICEM), focus on all aspects of working in NI including induction and training, health & safety, and legal requirements. The employee guide has been translated into Russian and Polish for ease of use amongst the migrant workforce.

Allan McMullen, Chief Executive, CITB stated: "All employers have a legal and moral duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of workers on their sites through the provision of information, training, induction and supervision. Employing migrant workers can make these obligations more challenging, particularly when workers may not have English as their first language. We have developed this resource to support and guide employers and migrant workers in the construction industry, to help ease integration not only in the workplace but also in terms of social integration."

(CL/SP)