Inspectors halt work on one in four building sites

HSE figures show a sharp rise in construction deaths and more employers have been exposed for breaking the law in the latest inspection blitz.

There were 26 deaths in the construction industry from April to June - a 44% increase compared with two years ago. Alarming figures then prompted deputy prime minister John Prescott to call a construction safety summit.

Of the fatalities, 12 were falls from height, four were people struck by a moving vehicle, and four were people trapped by something collapsing or overturning on them.

During the first two weeks in June the HSE carried out its largest ever inspection blitz, visiting 1,446 construction sites. Work was stopped on a quarter of those sites because they were deemed to be dangerous and a number of employers are still being considered for prosecution.

George Brumwell, general secretary of the construction workers' union UCATT said: "This is truly horrific. The construction industry is supposed to be bringing down the numbers of deaths and injuries through a number of new initiatives, but clearly something is going badly wrong."

The inspection blitz was part of "Don't Fall For It", a Europe-wide campaign to reduce falls from height in construction. Call 08457 181819 for a "Falls From Height Action Pack".