Surely the answer to better health and safety is blindingly obvious.

In all the years I have been involved in the industry, with many contracts run under the CDM regulations, I have never once seen or heard from a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector. The only times I read they are involved is when a fatality or extremely dangerous occurrence has already taken place.

The only time I saw a dip in the figures on fatalities was when the CDM regulations were first introduced and contractors and employers were convinced that the HSE would pay at least one visit to each site. As you said with drink driving, to change people鈥檚 perception the chance of being caught has to be dramatically increased, with punishment to back it up. Until this happens, men and women in the industry will continue to die.

Keith Aldridge, assistant , Oxford

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