Sharp Rise in Construction Industry Deaths

Sir Bill said, “It is disappointing to see that the overall number of deaths has risen. We have worked hard with industry and trade unions over the past few years to bring the number down.”

The latest statistics suggest that the provisional figure for the number of workers fatally injured in 2006/07 is 241, and corresponds to a rate of fatal injury of 0.80 per 100 000 workers. In 2005/06, the finalised figures were 217 and 0.72 respectively; these were the lowest annual figures on record. This indicates an overall increase of 11 per cent since the last year. Although a long-term downward trend is still clear, the rate of decrease has slowed over the last 15 years and there has been very little change in the overall rate over the last five years.

Tragically figures on work-related fatal injuries in construction for 2006/07 found that 77 workers lost their lives this figure is up from 60 in 2005/06, which was the lowest figure on record.

In there are 2.2 million people who work in the construction industry, making it the country’s biggest industry. It is also one of the most dangerous. In the last 25 years, over 2,800 people have died from injuries they received as a result of construction work. Many more have been injured or made ill.

The construction industry has the highest total of fatal injuries and accounts for 31% of all fatal injuries to workers.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Peter Hain said, "Any rise in fatalities is not only shocking, it is completely unacceptable. It is vital that everyone involved in the construction industry puts health and safety first, everyone from clients to employers, designers to suppliers, large construction firms right down to the smallest builders,"
Minister Peter Hain said: "We have a seen a significant rise in deaths within the housing and refurbishment sectors and I am calling together clients, contractors, trade unions, designers, suppliers and others for a special forum in September to try and crack the problems in these areas”.

He added: 'With the prime minister's commitment to build 3 million new homes over the next few years and large scale developments such as the Olympics the industry and government must work together to do all we can to ensure the health and safety of construction workers is put first.'

Note: This article was prepared and written for the Autumn Edition of Responseline News, a quarterly publication that focuses on topical health and safety issues.  Responseline News is created by National Britannia and is a free publication for all of its clients.

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