Govt accused of failing to address building site safety

The Building and Allied Trades Union (BATU) has accused the Government of failing to take realistic action to prevent deaths and injuries on Irish building sites.

The union said 19 people died on building sites last year, 11 of them construction workers.

BATU said further deaths could be avoided if the Government was seriously committed to reforming health and safety legislation.

It also called for increased fines for construction firms that fail to protect the safety of their workers.