Injury compensation news
29/03/2007

Job cuts could increase work accident claims

In a bid to reduce the number of work injuries and subsequent accident claims, the construction union Ucatt has urged the government to reverse its policy of making safety inspector job cuts.

According to Ucatt, 74 people have already been killed in accidents at work this year, which they believe could have been prevented if not for staff cuts at the Health and Safety Executive.

A spokesperson for Ucatt said, "One death on a building site is one too many. The lives of building workers cannot be reduced to a financial cost. The government must reverse these cuts and put extra resources into ensuring that this inherently dangerous industry is made safer."

A negotiator for the professionals' union Prospect said, "The government's refusal to back the call for proper resources for inspection and accident investigation ignores the stack of evidence that enforcing the law is the most effective motivator for business health and safety standards."

Union members fear that with the dismissal of staff from the HSE, the number of work accidents could increase in the future and so could the amount of accident claims.