UK construction sees 14% drop in fatalities

HSC praises construction's drive to reduce fatalities, but says the figure is still 'too high'.

The UK construction industry suffered 59 fatalities in the year to 31 March 2006, the lowest number on record, according to provisional figures published last week by the Health & Safety Commission (HSC).

The figure represents a fall of 14% from the 69 deaths recorded in 2004/05.

Construction deaths accounted for 28% of the total 212 worker fatalities in 2005/06, down from 31% in the previous year. In England, 50 workers were killed, seven in Scotland and two in Wales.

The rate of fatal injury to workers has fallen by 50% since 2000/01 - 5.91 deaths per hundred thousand workers to 2.95 this year - again this is the lowest level on record.

HSC chairman Bill Callaghan said: "I'm pleased to see the continuing improvement in construction. The figure is still too high, but construction is a good example of our overall strategy where we have worked with the employers, unions and other stakeholders to improve safety."

In 2003, the most recent year for which data is available across the European Union, the average rate of all workplace fatal injuries was 2.5 deaths per hundred thousand workers. The equivalent rate for the UK was 1.1, the lowest figure for any EU country.

Falls from height remains the biggest killer accounting for around half of all fatalities in the period from 1996/97 to 2005/06. In 2005/06 there were 24 fatalities caused by falls from height, a decrease of two from 2004/05.

The other main causes of death were: being struck by a moving/falling object (14%) being struck by a vehicle (11%) being trapped by something collapsing/overturning (8%) and contact with electricity or electrical discharge (8%).

Louise Brearey from the HSC's construction division said that the proportion of fatalities on major sites had dropped from 33% to 25%, while those for smaller sites rose from 67% to 75%.

She said that while the HSC does not keep statistics on migrant workers, research suggests that migrants are no more at risk than other workers. "However, we are aware that pockets of risk exist, especially in construction," she added.

[Contract Journal, 23 August 2006, p 2]