TUC general secretary Brendan Barber called on the government to spend more money on improving safety on construction sites, according to a repor
Barber said the government needed to spend more a national scheme developed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for "roving safety reps". The reps travel around sites and report any unsafe practices to the HSE.
In a nine-month trial of the scheme three quarters of the participating companies said their approach to health and safety improved, said the report.
Barber said the HSE needed more resources to prosecute cases brought to it by the reps.
He added that, as a leading construction client that procures 40% of the UK construction workload, the government should set a benchmark for safety practices on site, the report concluded.
