Construction workers could be left without hard hats on sites, following the scrapping of 'life-saving laws', Construction union UCATT has warned.
The Construction (Head Protection) Regulations, which required construction workers to wear hard hats, were revoked on Saturday 6th April as the Government moves to cut red tape and act upon the Lofstedt Review which recommended their deletion.
UCATT's argued that construction was a non-compliant industry and that extra measures were needed to ensure that the scrapping of the regulations would not result in construction workers being placed in danger.
UCATT states that the previous law had seen the average number of construction workers dying as a result of a head injury fall from 48 to 14 in a year.
'Construction workers are being placed in danger by the scrapping of these regulations," UCATT general secretary Steve Murphy said.
'Many construction companies will use the scrapping of the regulations as an excuse not to provide life-saving protective equipment.'
The Health and Safety Executive Board insists that the change will not jeopardise site safety standards as contractors will still need to comply with the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 1992, whichÊhave been amended so that they cover the provision and use of head protection on construction sites.
The HSE commented: 'These changes do not compromise essential health and safety protections. The aim is to make the legislative framework simpler and clearer. HSE isÊtaking action to raise awareness of the changes.'
It added: 'This includes working with the construction industry (particularly small contractors) to ensure that it understands the continuing need for employers to provide hard hats and ensure they are worn on construction sites.
'Hard hats remain vital in protecting construction workers from head injuries.'
