As the Rethinking Construction initiative, designed to improve the way the construction industry works, celebrated its second anniversary in November, one of the most significant statistics to emerge was that demonstration projects had a 30% lower accident rate than the construction industry in general.

Construction has the UK\'s second worst industrial accident record (only mining and quarrying is more dangerous) so a reduction of 30% in the number of accidents is an achievement, especially as the record of the rest of the industry worsened last year.

Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who heads the DETR, the department responsible for the initiative said: Two years on, the Rethinking Construction initiative is saving money, meeting deadlines and, most importantly, reducing accidents.

We have some £4billion of demonstration projects showing innovations in partnering, in pre-fabrication, in team-based approaches to design - making projects more commercially viable.

These projects show the rest of the industry what can and must be achieved.