In 2005, the Labour Inspectorate imposed more than twice as many fines for illegal labour as in the preceding year. The Inspectorate issued 2,200 fines (totalling more than 13 million euros), compared with just over 1,000 in 2004. These figures are contained in the Inspectorate’s annual report for 2005.

In some fraud cases several employers were fined. A total of 2,500 employers got caught. The increase in the number of fines is attributable to the much larger number of checks; 8,600, over 25% more than in 2004. Furthermore, the Labour Inspectorate managed to make a better assessment of sectors with the highest risk of fraud.

Besides investigating illegal labour, the Inspectorate also checked working conditions. The conclusion was that employers in the construction sector are taking uwarranted risks. Most of the more than 4,500 inspections in this sector prompted the Inspectorate to take action. Lax behaviour by construction workers also causes problems e.g. sometimes they fail to cover holes in floors between different floors.

According to the report, irregularities were uncovered in 56% of inspections of working conditions in all sectors. The Labour Inspectorate can impose fines for hazardous situations. This happened in 2,400 cases, of which 150 were for workers. The fines amounted to over 7 million euros. The inspections have proven to have had their effect because follow-up inspections showed that 96% of the infractions had been resolved.

The report also shows that work on the railway is still a problem. Almost 50% of the inspections discovered that railway workers were not adequately protected. Workers at asbestos dumps were also not properly protected and ran the risk of being exposed to asbestos.

The report reveals that veterinary surgeons are not aware of the radiation risks of x-ray machines. Companies that use refrigeration machines with ammonium underestimate the risks of the toxic and flammable substance. The companies concerned are now taking safety measures to reduce the risks. The same applies to companies handling flight luggage. They will be introducing lifting aids for their workers. The Inspectorate was satisfied with the clothing industry and synthetics industries.

The Labour Inspectorate carried out around 36,000 inspections in 2005. 2,000 of these were prompted by workers’ complaints. More than 2,300 inspections were carried out in response to accidents. Most of the accidents were attributable to negligence by employers, which resulted in fines and/or the suspension of operations.