Building employers' body attacked over safety

George Brumwell, TUC general council spokesperson on construction, has branded the Construction Confederation employers' organisation 'the pariahs of the safety world' for refusing to take part in a Health and Safety Commission's Worker Safety Adviser scheme. The pilot exercise, agreed with the TUC and CBI, was due to start in January. The scheme is intended to test the idea of union reps visiting local sites to help employers encourage workforce participation in safety matters. It is seen as a way of beginning to deal with the appalling safety record of the construction sector - 105 building workers were killed last year.