The developers of the new BT building in Brentwood have denied union claims of 'victimisation' after an engineer campaigning to improve safety standards on the site suddenly lost his job.

The construction workers' union UCATT made the claims last Friday after their safety representative on the London Road site was given a weeks notice, shortly after handing management a safety inspection report suggesting a number of extra safety measures.

The engineer, who wishes to remain anonymous, volunteered as safety representative at the end of April, after an 18-year-old glazier narrowly escaped death after plummeting from scaffolding.

The union claims that there have also been several other accidents on the site.

Developers Schal, however, have denied the charge, insisting that the sub-contractor who hired him has simply finished its work so is no longer needed.

According to the union the engineer took up the role in April. Ron McKay, UCATT organiser for Brentwood said: "UCATT is extremely concerned that economic sanctions appear to have been taken against one of our representatives.

"We are particularly concerned that it is a safety representative that is involved at a time when safety is centre stage with government ministers.

"We know safety reps save lives."

The engineer compiled a safety inspection report laying out a series of measures that workmen on the site wanted to see introduced to improve safety, ranging from extra toilets and fire points and improved storage for gas cylinders.

The report also criticised the developers for apparently neglecting to install hand rails on parts of the scaffolding and leaving some walkways unboarded.

The union says it has reported the matter to the Health and Safety Executive.

A Schal spokesman said: "Schal is doing everything possible on the BT Workstyle project to promote safe working practices and to improve safety generally on the project.

"However the appointment of safety representatives is the responsibility of the particular union and individual contractors.

"In the case of Cinnamond Contracts the workload on their package of works is running down and we understand the proposed union safety representative will shortly not be required on the project.

"We are happy to work closely with any representative proposed by the trade unions, and which are accepted by their employer, but they must obviously be part of the active workforce."

The new £50million proect will house more than 1,200 staff and is the first purpose built Workstyle building, containing advanced voice and data links to all workstations and open plan offices.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.