Dear Sir
I would like to respond to the article by Dr John Anderson in the June issue of T&TI in which he reviewed many of the safety related papers presented at the recent ITA World Tunnel Congress in Amsterdam. He refers to publications from WG5 “Health and Safety in Works”. WG members have also contributed papers at ITA events over the years. One possible obstacle to papers was that health and safety was seldom listed amongst the themes of the annual World Congresses.
WG5 recognised this and in my report to the 2001 ITA General Assembly in Milan, I called on the Executive Council to require that future congresses include health and safety as a theme. This challenge was taken up by the organising committee of the 2002 WTC in Sydney, who invited me to give an overview of tunnelling health and safety on the fourth day of their conference as one of a number of safety-related papers presented.
Whilst I welcome increased awareness of health and safety matters within the ITA both in relation to tunnel construction and operation, I feel that WG5 should be acknowledged for the lead it has taken in this matter.
Donald Lamont
Animateur ITA WG5
