A CONSTRUCTION worker was taken to hospital yesterday after he fell from scaffolding at a newly opened Dublin hotel.
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) last night said it would request a meeting with the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) over safety standards following the latest accident involving scaffolding.
An inspector from the HSA, yesterday began an investigation at the site and a prohibition notice was issued preventing further work there. The injured man was described as "stable" in St James's Hospital.
The incident happened after 3 p.m. as building continued on the Kylemore Park Hotel, Kylemore Road, which opened two weeks ago. It is believed part of the scaffolding became loose, causing the man to fall.
The incident comes just a week after three building workers were taken to hospital after a scaffolding collapse at St Martin's House, Waterloo Road, Dublin.
An HSA spokesman said it would be seeking a meeting with representatives from the CIF on how to improve safety on building sites. "The industry's safety record leaves a lot to be desired," he said.
Over the last 12 months, there have been six incidents of scaffolding collapse. One worker died and 10 others were injured in these incidents, said the spokesman.
The HSA has campaigned to improve construction site safety. Inspections have doubled between 1994 and 1996 and the number of prohibition notices issued has trebled. However, the organisation says safety standards on many sites remain low. During 1996, only 55 per cent of scaffolding inspected was satisfactory.