More people have been killed in do-it-yourself and building-related work than in the core construction industry this year, according to figures issued by the Health and Safety Authority.
By the end of July, 13 people had died in construction work. Six were building-site workers and seven were in DIY or construction-related work.
Mr Peter McCabe, director of safety, environmental and training services for the Construction Industry Federation, said this was a worrying development, particularly taking into account the relatively low numbers of amateur builders compared with professionals. He called on the Health and Safety Authority to reduce the incidence of such deaths.
Mr Tom Walsh, a director of the HSA, said the authority was concerned about this "worrying factor" and called for extra vigilance for the remainder of the year.
This year 16 building sites were closed voluntarily and another following a High Court order.
SIPTU has criticised the HSA approach to closing down dangerous sites. Mr Eric Fleming, branch secretary of SIPTU's construction industry section, said the HSA should not let employers off the hook by allowing them to close their sites voluntarily, thus avoiding legal action.
He said the HSA should seek more High Court injunctions and should widely publicise the forced closing of sites. The HSA, however, said its hands were tied on the issue.
Mr Jim Heffernan, a technical expert with the HSA, said the authority had an obligation to give employers an opportunity to close a site before taking the High Court option. Otherwise, he said, judges would take a dim view. "It's something we are concerned about, but at the moment there's not much we can do about it," he said.
SIPTU and the CIF also called for regulations to be introduced immediately to make certain safety measures mandatory. Such regulations should ensure that every worker would have at least one day's skills training before working on a site.
The regulations should also provide for a health and safety representative on sites with more than 20 people, and provide for certification for a construction skills scheme, they said.
These proposals were agreed between SIPTU, FAS, CIF and the Health and Safety Authority in February, but have not yet been made mandatory.
According to the HSA, work on the regulations is now at an advanced stage and the first draft should be ready in September. "The regulations are progressing but the process needs to be accelerated," said Mr McCabe.
Mr Kitt pointed out he had secured extra funding for the HSA this year and that a sizeable proportion of this was being aimed at the construction sector.
He said he was now waiting for the Health and Safety Authority to make its recommendations on these safety regulations.
