Hertfordshire-based Ashe Group held a hard-hitting safety event across all its construction sites recently to remind workers to be vigilant to the safety risks.

Health and safety is the top priority for Ashe and with workers returning after the Christmas break, the company wanted to start the new year with the focus firmly on the health and safety of all those involved in its projects.

The Stand Down for Safety event saw all of Ashe Construction and Ashe Roofing’s sites stop work simultaneously for an hour to watch a hard-hitting safety talk by motivational speaker, Paul Blanchard. Paul spoke emotionally about a life-changing injury 15 years ago which left him paraplegic and wheelchair bound. Paul reminded everyone not to be complacent and explained that despite being an experienced builder and trained in health and safety, he made the fateful decision to work at height without assessing the risks and fell 12 feet. He described the toll his accident has taken on him and his family.

Paul is now an ambassador for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

Ian Berrie, health and safety manager for Ashe explained that following the success of a similar event last year it was important to keep up the momentum. He said: “It’s very easy to return to work after the two-week break and forget about the safety of not just yourself but of your colleagues and co-workers. That’s why we felt that the new year was the ideal time to remind everyone of their responsibilities.”

Each Ashe site invited all those involved in their project including subcontractors, consultants, clients and building users to get involved. Around 250 people attended the event.

Ashe’s construction and quality director, Justin Howard, is responsible for health and safety and introduced the event from the University of Hertfordshire where Ashe is working on a number of contracts, he said: “Safety is not just a priority, it’s a core value that defines everything we do.

“Today’s stand down was a powerful reminder that behind every statistic is a real person, a real family, and a real story. Hearing first hand from someone who suffered a life-changing injury reinforces why we must never become complacent.

“By pausing work at 25 projects across Ashe Group, we demonstrated our collective commitment to protecting lives and ensuring every individual goes home safe, every day. This is what true leadership in construction looks like.”

The stark statistics

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE):

• There were 35 fatal injuries in the construction industry in 2024-2025. 53% of the fatalities were classified as falls from a height.
• An estimated 50,000 workers reported sustaining a workplace non-fatal injury, of these 29% resulted in over 7 days off work.
• 2.5% of workers in the sector sustained a workplace non-fatal injury. This rate is statistically significantly higher than for workers in other industries.
• In Construction around 2.2 million working days are lost each year due to workplace injury or work-related illness.

Mark Bellchambers, director at subcontractor, Bellwood Interiors, attended the event and said: “It’s an excellent and worthwhile event that Ashe arranges each year. It’s important to hear these stories from the people who have been impacted by accidents during construction works. I have no doubt Paul’s message will hit home with everyone who attended and highlight the importance of working safely on site.”

Julian Bulubenchi, director at Leidon Civil Engineering, attended the event with three of his team at Ashe’s Journeys Academy site in Hertfordshire. He said: “The session was both thought-provoking and emotional, reinforcing the importance of treating safety as a personal responsibility at all times. Paul’s message resonated strongly with everyone, encouraging us to look out not only for our own safety but also for the safety of those around us.”

Ashe’s safety standards are scrutinised through regular independent assessments of processes and performance. Read about Ashe’s approach to health and safety here.

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