A 43-year-old man died after an incident on Thursday at the £40 million revamp of the St Enoch Centre.

Proposed by Claire Baker MSP, the Culpable Homicide (Scotland) Bill proposes to create statutory culpable homicide criteria whereby death is caused “recklessly, or by gross negligence”.

The proposed legislation aims to address trade union concerns regarding the existing health and safety regulations. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures show a ‘sharp increase’ in the number of Scottish workers who never return home to their families, which has risen from 17 in 2017/18 to 29 in 2018/19. This is the equivalent to a 70%increase in workplace deaths.

Unite, which is the largest trade union representing construction workers across Scotland, said it believes the fatality at work figures illustrate that the existing legal framework is ineffective, in addition to the lack of company directors being successfully prosecuted for health and safety breaches.

Stevie Dillon, Unite regional coordinating officer, said: “Unite has repeatedly called for greater enforcement and regulation in the construction industry including stronger health and safety standards. In cases like the tragic death at the St Enoch’s Centre, we demand a full investigation and where it is shown that the incident occurred through recklessness or negligence then directors must face the consequences of their inaction.

“It is absolutely tragic that there has been a 70% increase in deaths related to workplace incidents in the last year across all industries. Claire Baker’s Culpable Homicide (Scotland) Bill provides a clear way forward to tackle this scourge in the workplace, and it’s an imperative that this proposed legislation becomes a priority for the Scottish parliament.”