Construction union UCATT are calling for urgent action to be taken to ensure that companies responsible for the death of a construction worker are brought to justice.

A recent Freedom of Information Request to the Health and Safety Executive revealed that of the 332 fatal accidents involving construction workers between 2004/5 and 2008/9 just 154 (46%) led to a prosecution.

Steve Murphy, General Secretary of construction union UCATT, said: "These are truly shocking figures. It is bad enough that families have lost a loved one but the fact in the majority of cases no prosecution has ever been brought is shameful."

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UCATT did not request figures for more recent recording years, as it typically takes between three and four years between the death of a worker and a case coming to court.

Most construction fatalities are entirely preventable, previous research undertaken by the HSE concluded that in 70 per cent of cases management failures caused or contributed to the death.

Mr Murphy added: "With regard to construction deaths we were already aware that it was a case of justice delayed we can now see in the majority of cases it is in fact justice denied. Families who have lost a loved one deserve answers about why there are so few prosecutions."

The figures on the low number of prosecutions comes at a time when the HSE is facing cuts in its budget which will have reduced by 35% by 2015 and when the Government is cutting existing safety regulations which it considers a burden on business.

(CD/GK)