Language barrier

The study, carried out by Loughborough University and the Institute of Civil Engineers and titled ‘Health, Safety & Welfare of Migrant Construction Workers in the South East’, reveals that few project managers know the nationality of the people working on their jobs. And although employers say that speaking English is important for safety, few provide any tuition.

The report also questions the effectiveness of the CSCS health and safety test. It says: ‘As language competence was considered so important by employers in ensuring effective safety behaviour it appears somewhat ironic that the CSCS test can be taken in languages other than English’

Academics from Loughborough interviewed 54 migrant workers across 11 large sites in the south east as well as carrying out a desk study into existing data, although this does not provide a complete picture of how many migrants are working in UK construction.

Among the report’s findings were:

• Of the migrant workers interviewed, half were working in unskilled jobs, one third in trades (bricklaying, concrete finishing and dry-lining) and the remainder in specialist cladding and engineering;
• Only 30% of those questioned had prior construction experience before coming to the UK;
• There was no evidence that there are more accidents where migrant workers were employed – but there is no means of measuring this;
• Most project managers did not know the nationality of workers on their sites;
• Of the London sites which did have records of their workforce’s nationality, 85% of general labourers were migrant workers, 44% of trades and 22% of specialist work;
• Subcontractors tended to employ all migrant or all domestic workers, so the opportunity for learning English on the job was limited for migrants.

Among the report’s recommendations is the establishment of a pan-industry body to collect and disseminate examples of best practice in the employment of migrant workers and that an English language test be added to the CSCS test.