Govt urged to tackle construction site safety

The Building and Allied Trades Union has urged the Government to implement a penalty points system for builders who breach health and safety regulations.

Twenty workers have died in accidents on Irish construction sites so far this year and BATU said its members are getting increasingly angry about the Government's failure to tackle the problem.

The Health and Safety Authority said it has carried out 6,000 construction site inspections this year. Thirty-seven of these sites were temporarily closed down and more than 500 were issued with orders banning specific activities on the sites.