Ministers not acting on construction 'gangsters'

Government ministers are leaving it to the courts to put the "gangsters" of the construction industry "behind bars", it was claimed in the Dáil.

Mr Tommy Broughan (Lab, Dublin North East) said management failure on almost 50 per cent of construction sites was responsible for the 22 fatalities last year, with a further 1,000 workers injured. It was "deplorable".

There was a culture of non-compliance, the department was "smug" about it and had failed to address the issue. "If 22 nurses or journalists were killed, the House would pay more attention," he said.

The Minister of State for Enterprise, Mr Frank Fahey, said: "I accept what the deputy says, and I agree it is not enough." He would consider introducing the crime of corporate manslaughter, and a penalty points system for the administration of sites in forthcoming safety legislation.

Mr Fahey said there had been 111 fatalities since 1998 in construction-related accidents, while the number injured varied from 664 in 1998 to 1,121 last year, and 14 this year.

He said everyone condemned and was concerned about the level of accidents in the sector, but progress had been made. While the industry was notorious in the past about safety, there was now a much better culture of prevention and awareness.

He asked for new codes of practice to be introduced immediately, such as in below-ground work, "where it is clear building companies and employers are not following existing codes".