Statue honours building workers

London's first statue in celebration of building workers was unveiled last month by the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and Alan Ritchie, general secretary of the construction workers' union, UCATT. The monument will also serve as a national memorial to the building workers who are killed each year.

At the ceremony Ritchie spoke of the campaign for a corporate manslaughter bill which would impose harsh penalties on negligent employers found guilty of causing death and injury at work. According to the Health and Safety Executive, there were 59 fatalities on building sites last year.

"We want to highlight the positive role of building workers in building our homes, schools, hospitals, workplaces and transport infrastructure. But at the same time we want to point out that an unacceptable price is paid by hundreds of building workers and their families for the lax safety regime which applies on many building sites and construction projects," he said.

The 9ft-high bronze 'Building Worker' weighs around 300kg and is on a prime site on Tower Hill.