Under the proposals, automatic safety inspections will only take place in energy, nuclear sites and the chemical industry, Ucatt says.
The number of inspections, enforcement activity and prosecutions being undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive have all declined dramatically in recent years, Ucatt says.
Far from construction companies being tied up in red tape, the reality is that a construction worker is unlikely ever to see a HSE inspector on site, unless a major accident has occurred, says the union.
A recent blitz campaign by the HSE in various parts of the UK has shown that roughly 1 in 4 construction sites visited had serious safety failings.
A Ucatt spokesperson said: “The government is using myths and distortions to introduce what amounts to an attack on worker safety. These plans will allow employers to ignore safety rules, as they will know that they will not be prosecuted. Workers should not be forced to play Russian roulette with their safety.”
The Government have also announced a long-term review of all workplace safety laws undertaken by Professor Ragnar Lofstedt of Kings College London.
Ucatt’s spokesperson added: “If the government was serious about ensuring the safety of workers, this review would be able to propose new laws to make workplaces safer, such as the introduction of statutory director’s duties and the extension of the Gangmasters Act to the construction industry.”
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