Scottish construction safety inspections drop by over 50 per cent

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Budget cuts have seen a drop in the number of safety inspections undertaken at construction sites across Scotland…

Employees face greater risks from serious injuries as safety inspections on Scottish construction sides drop by over 50 per cent.

Cuts made in Westminster have led to the reduction in health and safety budgets. This has prompted concerns in Scotland that employees could be in danger.

The construction sector employs tens of thousands of workers. Safety is paramount, given the dangers that can exist on sites. Cutting the budget for health and safety is irresponsible, yet figures show how deep austerity has impacted this area.

The data revealed there were 1,248 proactive inspections carried out by the Health and Safety Executive in Scotland during 2012/13. By 2014/15 this figure dropped 55.7 per cent to 552.

The number of inspections that resulted in enforcement action against employers fell from 156 to 108, while the number of notices issued as a result of unannounced inspections fell from 186 to 140 during the same period.

Furthermore, it was found that during 2012/13 some 150 prohibition notices were issued, but this had fallen to 100 in 2014/15.

Professor Andrew Watterson, of the Occupational and Environmental Health Research Group at Stirling University, said: “Westminster has savagely cut the budgets of the enforcement agency, the HSE, over many years.

“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.

“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”.

UCATT Scotland’s regional secretary Harry Frew said the figures were “shocking” and warned employers may be tempted to “cut corners” as a result of budget cuts.

He added: “These findings are shocking. It is only the prospect of an HSE inspector knocking on the door which means that many construction employers comply with safety laws.

“If that deterrent doesn’t exist then employers are going to be increasingly tempted to cut corners and risk workers’ lives.”

A spokesperson for the HSE said it looked at construction as a priority area. “HSE’s work with the industry follows a national plan, and we have teams of construction specialists across Great Britain.

“Inspection and enforcement, while important, are part of a much wider mix of approaches for improving health and safety standards in construction.

“Focusing solely on inspection numbers therefore gives an inaccurate picture and does not reflect all the work being carried out by others. In addition to inspection, HSE investigates accidents, cases of ill health, and concerns about unsafe construction activities.”

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