New figures have revealed that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) significantly reduced the number of unannounced visits to construction sites in the last year with a 55% drop in the number of inspections.
Figures from UCATT showed that the drop in the number of health and safety inspections in Scotland was significantly higher than other areas of the UK, however, there was still a slight decrease overall. In the UK, the fall was not as significant in Scotland alone with a decrease of just over 8%.
The figures, which were obtained by a Freedom of Information request, showed that Scotland and the North of England had the biggest decrease in the number of inspections.
Numerous Factors for Decline in Number of Inspections
According to a number of experts, budget cuts and increased activity due to a recovery from the recession was one of the main reasons for the decline in the number of inspections.
Brian Rye, acting general secretary of UCATT said: “This fall in inspection activity is deeply troubling. The prospect of an unexpected knock on the door by a construction inspector is what keeps many employers on their toes. If employers believe that their safety procedures are not going to be checked this will lead to slackness and corners being cut. Workers could pay with their lives.”
He added: “The HSE needs to explain what is behind the reduction in inspectors is this due to budget cuts or specific policies to reduce inspection activity? Construction workers deserve to be told the truth.”
Professor Andrew Watterson, who is part of the Occupational and Environmental Health Research Group at Stirling University, said: “For employees in the construction industry, even the person in the street knows they face major work safety as well occupational-ill health dangers. It is therefore deeply disappointing to see the numbers of pro-active inspections of construction sites by HSE in Scotland cut so dramatically between 2011 and 2015.”
He added: “HSE has just launched a new and exceptionally weak GB strategy on health and safety based on a London bubble. Construction workers may well be amazed that HSE is so complacent about inspections and enforcement and seems to rely more and more on some alternative bland and neutered stakeholder approach. HSE increasingly looks and sounds like a toothless tiger – a lot of noise and increasingly little action”.
Making a Personal Injury Claim: Construction
In the last year, the construction industry was the most dangerous industry in the UK with a number of serious workplace accidents and 35 fatalities. Sadly, thousands of others were seriously injured through no fault of their own.
Due to the nature of the construction industry, injuries through the use of heavy machinery, falls from heights, exposure to dangerous substances and lack of proper safety equipment are exceptionally common. Many workers are injured through no fault of their own but rather due to the negligence or failure of duty of care from their employer. Thankfully, the our team experts can help you get the damages you deserve through making a personal injury claim.
If you are injured as a result of recklessness from an employer, contact our team of expert personal injury lawyers today to find if you could obtain compensation.
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