The Health and Safety Executive is to recruit 10 construction inspectors as part of a crackdown on developers who ignore their duties under the revised Construction (Design and Management) Regulations.
The CDM, which came into force in April 2007, clarifies duties of clients, contractors, designers and engineers to reduce health and safety risks on site. The HSE said it will continue to examine the disproportionate levels of accidents in the refurbishment and house-building sectors.
The new recruits will bring the construction team to 134, while another 30 recruits will be added to other divisions.
The move follows criticism that HSE has been seriously under-funded. Stephen Williams, HSE chief executive of construction, confirmed that the body has agreed with the Department for Work and Pensions a further £712.5m to its budget for the 40 extra employees, a 3.6% rise on the previous budget.
The recruitment drive comes after Parliament’s Work and Pensions select committee last month accused the HSE’s construction inspectorate of being inadequately resourced and called for urgent action on site safety.
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Building Sustainable Design
