IOSH asks for more detail to reduce fatalities

Industry safety officers need more information from the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) about fatal accidents if they are to reduce construction deaths, according to the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

At a strategic meeting last week, it concluded that too often officers are "left guessing" as to the circumstances surrounding an accident.

The meeting was called in response to the latest statistics showing site fatalities up by a third in the last 12 months to a five-year high of 77.

John Lacey, chairman of the IOSH construction group, said: "There is a need for more information from the HSE to help the industry learn from its mistakes. Just classifying something as an 'electrocution' death, for instance, leaves us guessing on far too many factors. We need to know clearly how each of these accidents occurred in order to prevent them happening again."

Lacey said his group, which numbers more than 8,000 construction safety specialists, is seeking early talks with the HSE's chief inspector of construction, Stephen Williams, to discuss some of the issues raised at the meeting. He said: "We have to win hearts and minds and be more effective in communicating why it's important to stay safe at work."

Other ideas put forward by the group included greater industry engagement with politicians and a minimum level of qualifications and experience for construction health and safety advisers. There were also calls for the compulsory registration of both companies and workers and the naming and shaming of firms found guilty of safety offences.