CIOB chief executive Chris Blythe hit out in response to remarks made by Roy Harrison, president of the Construction Products Association. Harrison referred to a target to cut the number of deaths by half over five years at a fringe meeting at the Labour Party conference.
He said: “The notion that there is an acceptable level of deaths is abhorrent. Reducing the number of deaths by half means a total of 360 will lose their lives over five years, hardly a figure to be proud of. It’s the equivalent of 10 Clapham train crashes. That’s not a good statistic to try and sell the industry on.
“I’m sure something would change if we had 10 rail disasters in five years. What the industry should have is a policy of zero tolerance. It shouldn’t just be a matter of cost; how much more do works cost when they are not safe?”
Roy Harrison was unavailable for comment. CPA chief executive Michael Ankers countered by saying that although a target of zero deaths would be preferable, it was not a realistic target.
He said: “We have to set measures that are achievable and yet demanding. If they are unrealistic and within too short a timeframe, people become disillusioned.”
