The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its annual statistics on work-related fatal injuries, which show 138 workers killed in 2023/4 because of work-related accidents. This represents a rise from 2022/3, which saw 136 fatal injuries to workers. On average, the number has varied between 130-150 in the last decade.
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Industry bodies IOSH, RoSPA and CIOB have advised the Government not to compromise on safety competency, as it prepares to deliver on its plan to build 1.5 million homes over five years.
The new Labour Government made the promise in their election manifesto. New Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ first speech outlined new planning reforms, including a reverse on the policy to ignore housing targets to protect green belt areas. That is, land protected against planning rules to prevent urban sprawl.
The green belt accounts for 13% of England’s land, but it also technically includes disused car parks and wasteland. Labour has classified such areas as ‘grey belt’, earmarking them for future housing development.
Safety and construction bodies have warned Labour to exercise caution in undertaking such an ambitious building project, particularly with regards to competency.
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David Barnes, Head of Policy and Development at the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), said:
“While we welcome the government’s plans to build 1.5 million homes throughout the next parliament, they must be realistic about the significant lack of skilled workers the construction industry has to deliver such ambitious targets.
“The introduction of the Building Safety Act means there is rightly a requirement for those undertaking a range of construction roles to be qualified and able to demonstrate competence, and these people cannot be recruited and trained overnight.”
Mr Barnes also stressed the importance of any new builds’ quality:
“It’s vital the race to meet targets doesn’t impact the quality of new homes, as low-quality housing can not only pose a safety risk but can also be detrimental to the wellbeing of the occupants,” he said.
Ruth Wilkinson, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) also commented on the plans. She called for health and safety professionals to be central in any process:
“It’s crucial that any plans to build more homes or any other types of building have safety and health designed in from the very start.” she said.
“Last week, the HSE announced that 51 people were killed in fatal accidents in construction in 2023-24. Many more were injured, some seriously, in accidents or suffered ill health because of something they were exposed to at work.
“All duty holders must be aware of their health and safety responsibilities, comply with the legal requirements, and ensure competencies. To support this process, they should involve competent safety and health professionals, who can advise and also support with procedures to manage the risks – via implementing the principles of prevention – faced by the construction workers who will be involved.”
Steve Cole, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at RoSPA agreed. He cited the lack of qualified construction workers:
“Regrettably, the construction industry’s chronic labour shortages already place immense pressure on its limited pool of skilled tradespeople. Attempting to build even more homes without a strategy to increase the workforce or adopt modern manufacturing methods risks compromising quality further.”
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