Health & Safety Report Highlights Need To Stop Cowboy Construction Companies

3.51.39pm GMT Tue 14th Dec 2004

A report out today, which highlights the amount of injuries and deaths in the Construction industry, will hopefully encourage companies, courts and the Health & Safety Executive to take accidents at work more seriously, according to Liberal Democrat Health & Safety Spokesperson in the European Parliament, Liz Lynne.

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has found that 70 construction workers are killed each year in the UK with thousands more suffering injuries.

The West Midlands Euro-MP, who highlighted the problem across the EU, during European Construction Week in October said that although the UK has a better record on health & safety than most other EU countries, more has to be done to prevent the amount of accidents in the industry.

Liz Lynne MEP said:

"Construction is one of Europe's largest industries, but unfortunately it also has one of the worst occupational health and safety records with a cost to the employer and European taxpayers of over 75 billion Euros each year.

"In the UK, only about 20% of reported serious accidents get investigated. Only about 10% result in a successful prosecution most of which attract very low fines and do not provide an effective deterrent to cowboy companies who won't take safety seriously.

"All levels of government and industry should be doing more to reduce the disturbingly high number of deaths and injuries sustained in the construction sector. The Health & Safety Executive who are responsible for enforcing the current laws should in particular do more spot checks on Construction companies to sort out the good employees from the cowboys."

ENDS