'HSE can uphold construction safety standards'
16/05/2008(16:34)
The Home Builders Federation (HBF) has backed the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) over its ability to maintain standards across the construction industry.
Support for the HSE follows concerns over whether its construction inspectorate can effectively uphold health and safety in the industry by the Work and Pensions Committee.
Dave Mitchell, technical director of the HBF, said: "We feel the HSE is adequately resourced and are working closely with them to deliver significant improvements to workplace safety in the house building industry."
According to a report by the Work and Pension Committee, construction has the highest number of fatal injuries out of the main industrial sectors, with 32 per cent of all workplace deaths occurring in the sector.
In 2006-07, 77 workers were killed due to construction-related accidents - a 28 per cent increase on the year before - while the number of front-line construction inspectors dropped from 134 to 124 in the same period.
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