A freedom of information request made by the Unite union discovered that the HSE undertook 7,647 unannounced inspections in 2022/23 a 2% decline on the previous year when there were 7,793 inspections.
The number of proactive HSE inspections has been constantly falling since 2010, Unite says, when the coalition government introduced austerity measures and slashed public spending. when the Conservative-led government slashed its funding as part of austerity cut backs.
In 2013/14, the HSE made 11,303 proactive inspections – over the past ninbe years they have declined by 32%.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “These are highly disturbing figures, levels of construction work aren’t decreasing, so how can construction workers be kept safe when inspections continue to decline?
“Construction remains the UK’s most dangerous industry and it is completely unacceptable for construction safety to be undermined in this manner.”
Unite national officer Jerry Swain added: “The truth is that many construction employers are all too prepared to play fast and loose with construction safety and it is only the fear of being caught that keeps them on the straight and narrow. The declining number of inspections will sadly increase the temptation to cut corners on safety.”
An HSE spokesperson said: “Britain continues to be one of the safest places to work in the world. Counting the number of inspections we carry out is not the only way that we measure impact. Over the past 10 years we have focused on the areas of greatest risk and targeted our inspection activity using insight and intelligence. Our inspections are only one part of what we do to keep people safe. We use a range of regulatory tools to improve health and safety, such as working to influence industries and providing free, clear, and accessible guidance.”
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