Government Guilty Of Complacency When Defending Workers Lives

Construction union UCATT have accused the Government of “complacency which is placing workers lives at risk”. The union made its remarks following the Government’s publication of its response to the recent Work and Pensions Select Committee Report into the Health and Safety Executive.

UCATT’s key concerns include the Government once again failing to support statutory directors’ duties for health and safety at work. The existing voluntary guidance has proved a failure with just 44% of companies following the voluntary approach. By introducing statutory director’s duties, there would be a possibility that directors who deliberately flouted health and safety laws could be imprisoned.

UCATT are highly disappointed that the Government has rejected the committee’s calls for the HSE to increase their level of inspections, in order to ensure workplaces are safe. Once again the Government has endorsed the failed mantra of self-regulation and said: “Changes in employer motivation cannot solely be achieved through increased inspections. The prime factor which governs whether there are fatalities, injuries or ill health at work is the motivation of the employer.”

Alan Ritchie, general secretary of UCATT, said: “Self-regulation does not work in dangerous casualised industries such as construction. By talking about the importance of giving ‘advice and guidance’ ministers and HSE’s chiefs, give the impression that they think it is more important to stuff education material into envelopes than inspect sites.”

The Government’s rejection that the construction division needs further resources despite 72 deaths in construction last year 2007/8 and 79 in 2006/7 is disturbing. In actual fact the number of frontline construction inspectors has continued to fall, there are just 134 construction inspectors. When deaths rose to 79 in 2006/7 the HSE responded by making cuts in its construction division by 8.9 per cent. The HSE recently reneged on a commitment made to UCATT to increase inspectors. Some of the promised extra inspectors were needed to monitor safety at the Olympics.

UCATT believe that the Government’s outright rejection of a register for tower cranes is myopic. The reasoning that the register is not feasible because the cranes are mobile is spurious.

Alan Ritchie added; “To suggest you cannot have a register for cranes because they move between sites is laughable. Cars move everyday but some how the Government administers a register. It is not exactly rocket science to provide a similar resource for cranes.”

Despite it emerging that the HSE had a £12 million underspend in its budget in 2007, the Government has chosen not to be critical of the fact. This was despite the fact that this occurred at the same time, that the HSE were reducing inspections and cutting inspector numbers.

UCATT are dismayed that the Government has not taken the opportunity to once and for all rule out the possibility of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority merging with the HSE.

The Government’s refusal to reconsider the HSE’s budget and provide it with greater resources will in UCATT’s opinion mean that lives will needlessly be lost at work.

Alan Ritchie further added: “The Government has once again refused to provide more funding for the HSE. It is clear that the HSE does not have sufficient resources to adequately perform their role. Someone, somewhere sitting in their ivory tower should once and for all tell us exactly what price they place on a worker’s life.”

For Further information contact Barckley Sumner on 0780 2329235