Construction industry leads statistics on most workplace accidents

Published on Oct 14

HSE statistics for 2008/09 show that the largest number of fatal injuries and the highest rate of major injuries in any UK industry group last year was in the construction industry.

The statistics report that there were 53 fatal injuries and 3286 major injuries in the construction industry. That’s a decrease in the rate of injuries but it still equates to 3 million working days lost due to workplace accidents and work related illness.

The most common work accident types in the construction industry are slips and trips, falls from a height, injuries whilst lifting or carrying and injuries caused by moving objects (including the moving parts of machinery and falling objects).

Trips are the most common cause of workplace accidents. This is often because construction sites are found on muddy, uneven ground. Care needs to be taken that proper paths are put in place for the safe access of workers. If footpaths are uneven or obstructed and if there are cables strewn across paths or steps are uneven, this can cause workplace accidents. In 2006, a HSE inspection found that less than a quarter of construction sites were in good working order and 134 sites were closed immediately by the HSE because of poor conditions.

When construction bosses cut corners in safety in order to save costs, the results can be devastating to their workers. In 2007, a business man was jailed for 6 months and had to pay £90,000 compensation after one of the construction workers employed by him nearly died after being hit by a falling concrete lintel. Workers on the site were given no training and no protective clothing. No scaffolding or safety equipment was used. The worker involved was seriously injured and spent several months in hospital. He miraculously survived after his life support machine was switched off but it is unlikely he will ever be able to work again. It was found that the business man had cut corners in order to save money but his negligence very nearly cost one of his worker’s lives.

Unfortunately, stories like this are all too common. Reports suggest an increasing trend in construction workers being asked to sign forms to say they have been given safety briefings when in fact they haven’t. This means workers may be unprepared for some of the hazards on site and are thus more likely to become victims of workplace accidents. HSE findings suggest that employers are more likely to cut corners during times of economic recession and a recent survey found that 10% of construction workers are afraid to raise concerns about health and safety because of higher rates of unemployment in the current economic climate. These findings suggest that there are improvements that need to be made in order to avoid workplace accidents in the future.