UCATT report: Half of construction deaths happen at 'small firms'

More than half of construction workers killed in 2007/08 worked for small firms, according to a new UCATT report.

The report, Small Isn't Beautiful, revealed that 51% of workers killed worked for companies with fewer than 50 employees. And more than half of these deaths occurred in companies with fewer than five workers.

UCATT called for an increase in the number of fully qualified frontline Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors, in order to support a tougher regime of enforcements and prosecutions.

UCATT general secretary Alan Ritchie said: "This report sheds fresh light on the dangers faced daily by workers on construction sites. Small companies often do not take safety seriously, that is how tragedies occur. The HSE must introduce a zero tolerance approach to safety and pressure needs to be applied all year round on small construction companies."

The union also called for the introduction of statutory directors' duties, which would require all companies to appoint a director responsible for health and safety. If a serious accident occurred and a worker died then there would be a possibility that the director responsible could receive a custodial sentence.

Ritchie added: "As the law stands a company boss is more likely to be sent to prison for not paying their taxes than killing one of his workers. It is an appalling state of affairs and sends a terrible message that we as a society consider like to be cheap."

The HSE announced earlier this month that it is recruiting an extra 30 inspectors to reinforce policing of safety on sites.

The safety watchdog currently employs around 138 construction inspectors, boosted recently with the addition of 19 trainee inspectors.

A spokesman for the HSE said: "We are seeking to recruit up to 30 additional inspectors with a construction industry background on two-year fixed term contracts."