It is believed that deaths and injuries on UK building sites could increase as the industry comes out of the downturn and inexperienced workers are recruited to fill the skills gap, following Health and Safety Executive budget cuts in 2011. A killer combination of increased trade, demand for undertrained staff and recent health and safety cuts have created a ‘timebomb’ for the construction industry, experts fear.
Baroness Donaghy, an ex-Labour adviser who wrote a report on construction industry death statistics for the last Labour government, said she was ‘appalled’ by the recent 35 per cent cut in the HSE budget, after she had called for more funding to allow it to function properly as an industry regulator. Donaghy had predicted at the time that companies would start to cut corners and that deaths and accidents would increase as a result. Now that we are the other side of the recession and construction companies are experiencing a sudden increase in business, many are tempted to take on insufficiently skilled workers to fill the skills gap, potentially leading to death and serious injury in the workplace.
It is the site manager’s responsibility to ensure that all subcontractors have the appropriate experience and skills to do their jobs safely, and that no corners are cut when it comes to health and safety protocols. Integrity Software’s subcontractor management solutions can help. Our Evolution job costing software programs are designed to make your job easier and to offer those in the construction industry the support they need to run more efficient, successful and above all safe businesses. To find out more, contact the team today.
