“Very disturbing” figures suggesting safety inspections have fallen to an all-time low have sparked criticism from a union.
A Freedom of Information request by Unite found that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) carried out 7,647 unannounced inspections in 2022-23, down 2% on the previous year.
The union said the number of inspections carried out by the HSE had been falling steadily since 2010 due to cuts to the body’s funding.
Proactive, or unannounced, inspections had fallen by almost a third since 2013-14, when 11,303 were carried out.
Given the risks inherent in the construction industry, it is “completely unacceptable” that safety should be compromised, the union said.
The HSE’s unannounced inspections are critical to ensure employers don’t ignore safety laws and put their workers’ lives at risk by doing so, he added.
“These are very disturbing figures,” United general secretary Sharon Graham said.
“Construction work levels are not decreasing, so how can you keep construction workers safe when inspections continue to decrease?
“Construction remains the UK’s most dangerous industry and it is completely unacceptable that construction safety should be undermined in this way.”
Unite national officer Jerry Swain said employers would be more likely to try to skimp on security measures if they did not fear inspectors turning up unexpectedly.
“The truth is that many construction employers are too ready to play fast and loose with construction safety and only the fear of getting caught keeps them on the straight and narrow,” he said.
“Decreasing the number of inspections will unfortunately increase the temptation to cut corners on safety.”
HSE has been contacted for comment.
