Site blitz shows the need for year round inspections

Construction union UCATT is calling for a far higher number of official site safety inspections after a month-long nationwide blitz by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found there has been no improvement in standards since a similar initiative last year. Both concluded 'nearly one in five construction sites visited' were sub-standard, with the latest figures suggesting there has been a slight increase in the proportion of negligently run sites (Risks 599). Brian Rye, regional secretary of UCATT's Eastern region, said HSE discovered an even higher 1 in 4 sites visited in Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk - 17 out of 71 (24 per cent) - had major safety failings. He said: 'The initiative by the HSE is welcome but 71 sites is a tiny number of the construction projects currently being undertaken in the region. How many more sites are flouting safety laws?' He added: 'The nature of construction means that sites are starting and finishing all the time. Unless the number of inspections is dramatically increased throughout the year construction workers will continue to be placed in danger by employers who ignore safety laws.'

• HSE news release. UCATT news release.