Construction union UCATT have renewed their call for greater funding of construction inspections after the Health and Safety Executive revealed that nearly half of the sites they have recently visited had serious safety defects.

Between the 2nd and 27th September, the HSE are undertaking a major inspection and enforcement initiative targeting the construction refurbishment sector. Halfway through the initiative, the HSE revealed that almost half of the 1,000 sites they had visited contained material breaches leading to the issuing of a Notice of Contravention. A number of sites had also been served with Enforcement Notices.

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Steve Murphy, General Secretary of UCATT, said: "These figures demonstrate the dangers faced by construction workers on a daily basis. Failure to ensure a sites safety could lead to the death or injury of a worker. The next time a Government minister complains about red tape strangling business they should be reminded of these figures."

(CD/JP)