Just as the Health and Safety Executive releases statistics showing a fall in the number of recorded construction site injuries, the HSE received formal notification of six deaths in the space of five days, one of the worst periods of recent times.
The six site fatalities occurred between October 18 and October 22 in five separate incidents.
These latest tragedies confirm that construction is still one of Britain’s most dangerous industries – despite the recorded fall in the number of deaths and injuries.
Philip White, HSE’s Chief Inspector of Construction, said:
“While the fact that fewer people are being killed or seriously injured is encouraging, the construction industry retains its unwanted record of accounting for more fatal injuries than any other sector.
“As Britain moves out of recession and work starts up again, we must continue to focus on real health and safety, especially in construction where the risks are all too real all the time. The great tragedy is that so many of these deaths, injuries and illnesses are entirely preventable and can be tracked back to the same basic failings.”
The HSE construction data reveals that in Britain between April 2009 and March 2010 the number of major injuries – such as burns and amputations – fell 14 per cent to 2585 from 3307 in 2008/09 (rate of 266.7 per 100 000 in 2008/09 to 230.0 in 2009/10).
Work-related ill health remained at a similar level to 2008/09, with an estimated 82,000 cases at a prevalence rate of 3,700 per 100 000 employed in the previous 12 months. Falls from height remain the biggest cause of fatalities in construction, with the other main causes being struck by a moving/falling object, being struck by a moving vehicle and collapses.
Figures released in June showed that there were 42 fatal injuries to workers in construction in 2009/10, which compares with 52 deaths the previous year.
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