Unsafe Manchester sites expose Tory plans
Wednesday 17 March 2010
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EmailTory plans to privatise construction safety has received renewed criticism from unions after more than a quarter of sites in Manchester were found to be unsafe.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that it issued a total of 56 enforcement notices on 42 sites last week in the Greater Manchester area, with many considered so dangerous that work had to be stopped immediately.
If the Conservatives win the general election, they have vowed to allow companies deemed "low risk" to commission private safety audits, barring the HSE from entering the site unless there was an emergency.
North West UCATT regional secretary George Guy said: "The fact that a quarter of construction sites were deemed unsafe in Greater Manchester demonstrates just what a dangerous nonsense the Conservative plans are.
"If the Conservatives had their way, rather than being able to check that sites were safe or close them down if they were dangerous, the HSE would be barred from setting foot on them unless an accident occurred and a worker was maimed or killed."
Construction is the most dangerous industry in Britain, with 54 workers killed last year.
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