Is HSE suffering with a lack of resource?
Despite HSEs Fee For Intervention initiative in recent years, which should be a motivation for HSE to increase construction site visits, their on-the-spot checks are becoming increasingly infrequent. It may seem a strange thing to say, but it is worrying to note that the number of HSE surprise construction site safety visits fell again in 2015/16. Ucatt statistics confirm that the period saw 9,219 inspections, a 4% drop from 9,656 in 2014/15,
During 2012/13, HSE inspected 10,577 sites – so over a 3-year period, this results in a 13% decline. This is also true across the majority of UK regions, but predominantly in the south east, where there was a 26% drop.
Brian Rye, Acting General Secretary, of construction union UCATT, says: “These statistics are far from meaningless. They paint a serious picture of how a resource starved HSE is increasingly unable to do its job. Inspections save lives and prevent accidents. The reduction in inspections is endangering the lives, health and well being of construction workers.”
We couldn’t agree more.
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