Olympic worker seriously injured on site …

The worker is believed to have had the front part of his foot amputated after a concrete barrier fell on him while it was being moved on 18 June.

The injured man, who has not been named, was working for a plant subcontractor. He is understood to still be in hospital.

The accident has raised union fears over safety standards on the Olympic building programme. One union source said: “This is a serious concern, given the Olympic Delivery Authority’s (ODA) claims about a strong safety record on site.”

The news comes as it emerged that “lorry loads” of soil contaminated with asbestos, found on the Olympic stadium project earlier this month, are being moved around the site rather than being disposed of.

This is a serious concern, given ODA claims about a strong safety record on site

Union source

After initially insisting that it had not been moved, the ODA confirmed that the asbestos was being “stockpiled” on the northern part of the site until a decision regarding its disposal was made.

It said soil containing low level contamination could be treated at a soil remediation centre. The ODA said it was confident that the right processes were in place to ensure workers were not being put at risk.

A union official said: “The more the asbestos is moved around, the greater risk there is of exposure. If they eventually decide they can’t safely treat it they’ll have to move it again. Why not just dispose of it now as they did with earlier finds?”

In response to the accident, the ODA said: “We’ve had two reportable accidents this year – both of which have been investigated. We are satisfied the correct procedures were put in place by contractors.”