25 May 2004 - Deaths of Apprentices Publicised
According to an investigation by the Centre for Corporate Accountability (CCA), nine young apprentice workers have died whilst receiving government-funded training in the last 20 months.
The apprentices were all on vocational courses funded by the government's Learning Skills Council, which funds pre-16 year old training and education for young people.
The CCA has publicised the following figures:
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A 17-year-old died on 30 January 2004 after falling from a height whilst constructing a scaffold at the Davyhulme Waste Water Treatment in Manchester
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A 23-year-old was electrocuted at work on 27 May 2003 whilst working for the company that manages Bolton Council's housing stock. He was working on the mains supply at a council flat in Bolton
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A 20-year-old was crushed to death on 17 July 2003 whilst working on a "cherry picker" at Guardian Glass
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A 19-year-old died on 13 January 2003 in Nottinghamshire installing pipework on top of a spray booth
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A 19-year-old was dragged to her death on 24 September 2002 whilst exercising horses for a leading county racing trainer
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An 18-year-old received serious injuries after being crushed by a digger on a building site in North Staffordshire in August 2003
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A 21-year-old received serious burn injuries on 3 February 2003 when an explosion took place in a storage tank in which he was working. He died five days later
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A 22-year-old was crushed to death on 10 September 2002 by falling steel whilst working on the Cleveland Industrial Estate in Darlington when an over-head crane, operated by an untrained colleague, knocked over steel sillages onto the young man
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Another person suffered fatal burns in February 2004 after an explosion in a garage forecourt.
Members of the Apprenticeship task force are quoted as saying:
"Using apprenticeships to address skills and shortages, businesses in sectors from engineering to retail have reduced their costs and improved their competitiveness, productivity and staff retention."
With the response from the CCA:
"Their must be a concern that some companies are doing this at the expense of the safety of the apprentices."
The full CCA press release can be found on their website here.
