Construction union UCATT are urgently contacting the Health and Safety Executive about safety concerns following the death of a worker on Tuesday in Aberdeen.

The 63-year-old worker died after he fell from scaffolding while working on the former Grampian Hotel Site in Carmelite Lane, Aberdeen.

The company currently operating the site is understood to be HBC Services Ltd.

Research by UCATT has uncovered that the site has a very poor safety history in July 2007 a previous company on the site Inveresk Developments were served with several Immediate Prohibition Notices because of unsafe working practices involving the danger of falls from height, including from scaffolding.

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In October 2008 following a visit to check on compliance with the earlier notices a further Immediate Prohibition Notice was served on Inveresk Developments, stopping all construction work until a "competent site manager" was in place. It is understood that the site was then mothballed before work was restarted.

Harry Frew, Regional Secretary of UCATT Scotland, said: "This site had previously been identified by the HSE as being dangerous.

"It is worrying to think that a change in construction company, could result in vital safety improvements not being made. I will be writing to the HSE seeking reassurances that the required safety improvements had been made before work recommenced."

The economic downturn has resulted in many construction sites being mothballed and a high number are likely to be completed by different companies than those which originally started projects.

Mr Frew, added: "Construction workers need to be assured that sites are safe. If sites have been found to be dangerous and are then mothballed it is essential that they are made safe before any construction work resumes."

(GK/BMcC)