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STIHL GB,  Skanska and  Cskills Awards of CITB are encouraging those in the construction industry to attend their event, 1st of July 2015, in light of their recent collaboration that will see safer use of cut-off saws in the construction industry.

The event aims to raise awareness for the inaugural Cskills Awards training programme that helps  ensure contractors in the construction industry are trained and qualified following an increase in cut-off saw injuries.

In November 2012 Skanska, one of the world's leading project development and construction groups, made contact with STIHL GB following a serious workplace accident that involved one of their contractors.

Following a lengthy investigation it was found that there were a number of user errors in the common usage practices of petrol driven cut-off saws that were affecting rail, civil engineering and construction sectors of the industry.

The worrying findings spurred Skanska to approach and collaborate with STIHL GB, a leading outdoor power equipment manufacturer, to produce a comprehensive training programme for cut-off saw users that is now available through Cskills Awards, the awarding organisation of CITB.

Robin Lennie, Managing Director at STIHL GB, says there is a clear objective for all parties involved in this collaboration.

"The upcoming event will celebrate the collaboration between a manufacturer, STIHL GB, a construction company, Skanska and an industry awarding body, Cskills Awards, that revolves around one clear objective - to make the construction industry in Great Britain a safer one. Safety is at the forefront of everything we do here at STIHL GB so it made sense for us to show our support for Skanska's initiative," says Mr Lennie.

The event will be held on 1st of July 2015 at the Leicester Tigers home ground and will see STIHL GB sponsorship partners, the Leicester Tigers, share their experiences with safety on the field alongside cut-off saw demonstrations and presentations detailing the training programme with Cskills Awards.

"The collaboration has grown from a simple STIHL guidance video, to becoming a fully-fledged Cskills Awards approved training programme. The programme now has companies such as Skanska making it mandatory for any contractor to complete the Cskills Awards PDCOS (Petrol Driven Cut-Off Saw) training course before using a cut-off saw on their sites. This is testament to the programme and its value in the industry," says Mr Lennie.

Cskills Awards work closely with the industry to produce leading qualifications and courses and have collaborated with these two highly respected companies to develop  this short course and improve safety in construction.

If you are interested in coming along to the free event in Leicester to learn more about this valuable training programme, please contact STIHL GB Learning & Development Manager, Caroline Wallace on 07785 971540 or at caroline.wallace@stihl.co.uk.