Inspection cuts will kill, warn union groups

Union groups have voiced grave concerns over suggestions that government spending cuts could force the HSE to cut unnanounced safety inspections by a third.

Commenting on the plans which are said to have been disclosed in a letter leaked to the BBC, Brendan Barber said: “The possibility of an unexpected visit from either an HSE or a local authority safety inspector helps keep employers on their toes; even now, workplaces can go decades without ever seeing an inspector.

“If government cuts to HSE funding do result in fewer safety inspections, unscrupulous employers will simply assume they can get away with taking risks with the safety and well-being of their staff, without fear of ever being prosecuted.

Ucatt general secretary Alan Ritchie said quite plainly: “These cuts will kill.”

“In construction large numbers of employers simply ignore safety laws. The only thing which compels them to keep workers safe is the fear of a knock on the door from the HSE. If you remove that deterrent deaths will increase.”

The union suggested that voluntary directors’ duties on health and safety had failed – referring to HSE figures showing that only 19 per cent of directors had even read the guidelines.

Mr Ritchie added: “The softly, softly approach has been proven to be a failure.

In the leaked letter, HSE chief executive Geoffrey Podger is said to have proposed replacing inspections with web-based initiatives, commenting on this Ritchie said: “If companies don’t care about safety then a glossy leaflet or a flashy website is not going to change their minds. Particularly if they know that it will not be followed up by inspections and a prosecution.”