Safety advisers have expressed surprise at figures obtained by construction union UCATT showing a decline in the number of construction site inspections carried out by the Health and Safety Executive.
UCATT made a Freedom of Information request to find out the number of ‘proactive’ construction inspections made by the HSE in 2014/15, revealing there were 9,656 across England, Scotland and Wales, compared to 10,577 in 2012/13.
This 8.7% decline therefore came as the industry’s workload was picking up after the downturn.
Inspections in Scotland dropped 55.7%, with decreases in the north east of 28.5%, north west 32.5%, the south east 19.6% and in Wales 3.4%.
In some English regions the number of inspections increased, but there was an overall reduction for England of 2%.
Responding to the figures, the HSE gave Construction Manager the following statement: “The construction sector is a priority for HSE. We have teams of dedicated construction specialists across England, Scotland and Wales who target the highest risk sites and activities.
“Through improved targeting we have been able to direct inspectors to tackle more serious risks, and this inevitably means that inspections take longer. We do not measure our impact simply by counting the number of inspections.
“In addition to planned inspections, we also respond to concerns about unsafe construction activities and investigate cases of ill health and injury, and provide advice to employers and workers. We remain actively committed to improving standards in the construction industry through the full range of options available to us.”
“The prospect of an unexpected knock on the door by a construction inspector is what keeps many employers on their toes. If employers believe that their safety procedures are not going to be checked this will lead to slackness and corners being cut. Workers could pay with their lives.”
Brian Rye, UCATT
But Chris Chapman, head of CDM at Bristol-based Building Safety Group, said the figures were surprising, given that the sums raised by the HSE’s Fees for Intervention regime, launched in October 2012, apparently gave the HSE an in-built incentive to maintain or increase the number of inspections.
He also added that that the Scottish figures would be “a major cause for concern for the Scottish industry”.
Alex Green, managing director of online H&S consultancy HandSHQ.com, said there had been a 35% cut to the HSE’s budget since 2011 – “so it’s not surprising to see the inspection numbers drop and it is a worrisome trend for the industry”.
He also argued that the possibility of proactive inspections have an important effect in raising safety standards on small sites, saying: “Three quarters of all accidents now occur on smaller sites, and we actually need more inspectors making more inspections, not less.
“Many small construction companies working on domestic projects are simply not aware of their new requirements under new CDM Regulations (2015) and the threat of HSE spot inspections provide impetus for these companies to review their approach to health and safety.”
However, Green also suggested that the arrival of the Deregulation Act in 2015 could free up resources for the HSE to focus its efforts on high-risk industries, such as construction, as well as ill health.
Brian Rye, acting general secretary of UCATT, said: “This fall in inspection activity is deeply troubling. The prospect of an unexpected knock on the door by a construction inspector is what keeps many employers on their toes. If employers believe that their safety procedures are not going to be checked this will lead to slackness and corners being cut. Workers could pay with their lives.”
Rye added: “The HSE needs to explain what is behind the reduction in inspectors: is this due to budget cuts or specific policies to reduce inspection activity? Construction workers deserve to be told the truth.”
