Commons committee calls for more inspectors

The House of Commons Transport Select Committee has called for more port inspectors, and more enforcement and training in the industry.

Prospect, the union that organises HSE inspectors, welcomed the committee's recommendations. HSE branch chair Stephen Kay said: "Port work is the most dangerous land-based industry in the UK with a rate of nearly 3,000 accidents per 100,000 workers - even higher than construction. We agree whole-heartedly that measures to increase safety for port workers are vital, and more inspectors are needed."

But Prospect warned that more port inspectors must not be introduced at the expense of other HSE departments, which are already seriously understaffed and under-resourced.