 It seems inspections are on the wane UK workplace inspections at new low
July 10th 2006 Safety inspections in the UK have plummeted to a new low, increasing the chances of workers being killed, made ill or injured by their jobs, according to figures recently published by the TUC.
 Rogue bosses have never before enjoyed such freedom to neglect safety rules.  Previously unpublished figures obtained by the TUC-backed health and safety journal Hazards (www.hazards.org) from the HSE show that in the three years from 2002/03, visits to firms by safety inspectors dropped over a quarter, down to over 74,000 a year to barely 55,000 in 2004/05.
Commenting on the figures TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said : “We know that inspections and prosecutions are the most effective way to stop employers from breaking the law. While good employers have nothing to fear from inspections, rogue bosses have never before enjoyed such freedom to neglect safety rules. Negligent employers who risk their employees’ health and safety can now do so safe in the knowledge that the HSE inspector is only likely to come calling once every 13 years.
“There is a real danger the UK’s safety record will get worse unless the HSE devotes more resources to carrying out a greater number of m ore effective inspections. With visits and prosecutions at a new low, there is no incentive for employers to tighten up on safety. As a result more workers are likely to die, be made ill or injured at work.”
More articles from TUC: | 
