There are a number of management jobs advertised on this site covering a variety of aspects within the construction industry. Managers obviously have to oversee projects ensuring that jobs run to schedule and within budget, but there is also a great onus on them to follow health and safety guidelines.

Of course health and safety applies to any work place but it is perhaps more crucial to the construction industry than most. The biggest hazard is asbestos, which is still the greatest cause of deaths in the UK with at least 3,500 people killed each year.

The difficulty is that illnesses may not be identified as being related to asbestos for many years, but it can lead to potentially fatal diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. That is why it is critical for employers to protect themselves, their workers and their customers to prevent them getting an asbestos-related disease in the future.

Having a strong manager who knows health and safety rules inside out can help achieve this, but it is also essential that they ensure their workers know the dangers and how to carry out best practice. Anyone who owns, occupies, manages or has responsibility for non-domestic premises in the UK is responsible for managing the risk from any materials containing asbestos under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006.

Failure to do so can result in stiff penalties such as fines of up to ?20,000, closure of the premises or even a custodial sentence. Several fines have been issued this year, but of course most people in management jobs do know the law and the implications of failing to adhere to it.