UCATT Calls for Urgent Inquiry Following Death of Worker in Hull

Construction union UCATT are calling for an urgent inquiry following the death of a worker in Hull on Tuesday (December 8). Raymond Jessop 53, died after falling from a ladder while engaged in painting a council property in Cranswick Grove, Hull. Mr Jessop was employed, by Kier Building Maintenance which is responsible for the repair and maintenance of 10,000 council properties in the city.

Inquiries by UCATT have discovered that Mr Jessop was working on a major project repainting 170 properties. A UCATT official has visited the site and noted there was sufficient room for scaffolding to be erected or a mobile platform to have been used, rather than having to rely on a possibly unstable ladder.

The use of ladders for this project is at odds with the advice on ladder use provided by the Health and Safety Executive, which states that ladders should only be used “for low risk, short duration work”.

UCATT officials have also obtained health and safety steering group minutes where a health and safety representative from Kier, originally recommended that the painting was performed using scaffolding but it was eventually decided to use ladders because the workers were not trained in using tower scaffolding units and “cost was an issue”.

Derek Johnson Regional Secretary for UCATT Yorkshire, said: “All the evidence indicates that a decision to use ladders was taken on grounds of cost. This decision has had fatal consequences and a worker has died. It is essential that such a tragedy is never allowed to happen again, Kier’s, Hull City council and all contractors must change their policies to ensure that ladders, are not relied on when undertaking such large scale painting projects.”

UCATT also intend to raise concerns that workers were being pressurised to finish the project in the belief that delays would lead to a loss of pay.

The HSE estimate that on average 12 workers are killed every year after falling from ladders. Last year (2008/9) 53 construction workers were killed and falls were the most common type of fatality, causing 21 deaths.