YORK-based Portakabin has received independent accreditation for its "consistently high standards" in health and safety.

Under the Safecontractor scheme, which is a UK wide auditing programme, the Huntington-based modular building specialist was extensively audited and its health and safety policies, procedures, documentation and track record were reviewed to demonstrate compliance.

Commenting on this latest approval, Derek Carter, chief executive of the Portakabin Group said: “Modular construction already offers significant health and safety benefits compared to site-based building methods.

"By taking a responsible and forward-thinking approach to health and safety management, we can reduce the risk of accidents and injury even further.

“Our aim is to ensure we maintain a healthy and safe working environment for all our staff, contractors, visitors and any individual affected by our operations – both at our manufacturing centre and head office in York and on every site.

“This latest independently-audited accreditation gives our customers even greater peace of mind that we have robust and best practice procedures in place across the business. The Safecontractor certification is a powerful tool and a proactive solution to reducing risk at every level and further improving business efficiency.”

John Kinge, technical director of Safecontractor, added: “Construction clients simply cannot afford to run the risk of employing contractors who are not able to prove that they have sound health and safety policies in place.

"More companies need to understand the importance of operating good risk management, as Portakabin has done.

" The Group’s high standards have set an example which will hopefully be followed by other companies in the modular and off-site sectors.”