114 deaths bring calls for tougher killing law

by Tim Wood



Renewed calls for tough measures on corporate manslaughter have been made this week in light of shocking figures that show fatalities in the construction industry leapt by a third over the past year to 114 - the worst for more than a decade.

A breakdown of Health & Safety Executive (HSE) statistics in the year to 31 March 2001, shows that 72 of the fatalities involved directly employed workers, 34 were self-employed and eight were members of the public.

Significantly, only 10 fatalities occurred on projects where a Major Contractors Group member company was working, of which seven were employed by subcontractors.

The figures, equivalent to two deaths on site every week, were described by Health & Safety Commission (HSC) chairman Bill Callaghan on Monday as "very serious" and "unacceptable".

However, the TGWU has admitted that "enough is enough" and revealed that it will be launching a campaign for tougher corporate manslaughter laws once Parliament resumes.

Jack Dromey, TGWU organiser for services, said: "I believe the safety record in the construction industry will be transformed the minute a boss is jailed following the death of a worker.

"It remains a national disgrace that since 1974 [when the Health and Safety at Work (HSW) Act was brought in] over 3,000 workers have been killed, yet no company director has spent one night in prison as a result."

UCATT general secretary George Brumwell added: "We can't wait another three years for legislation on corporate manslaughter. By then another 200 to 300 lives will have been lost."

And Tony O'Brien, Construction Safety Campaign secretary, said: "Employers are required to tell their workers what to do as part of their contractual arrangement. Therefore, the responsibility if someone is killed working for them is theirs by law."

The HSC also supports corporate manslaughter legislation or a reform of the current health and safety laws, having submitted its comments to the Home Office last year.

But Construction Confederation health and safety director Suzannah Thursfield questioned: "Why are we looking at yet another raft of health and safety legislation to achieve what is already set out in the HSW Act 1974?"

l HSE chief inspector of construction Kevin Myers has confirmed that first secretary of state John Prescott, who hosted the Construction Summit last February, will not be attending the follow-up event on 18 October.

Nick Raynsford, minister for local government, and Brian Wilson, minister for industry and energy, will attend instead.