Construction staff at high risk of fatal accidents

Workers
in construction and agriculture are seven times more likely to die at work than
the average worker, according to figures published by the Health & Safety
Executive.

Of
the 249 fatalities to employees, 79 were construction workers and 39 were
agriculture workers.

Despite
a reduction in the total number of fatalities, the Transport & General
Workers Union said workers in construction and agriculture are still facing
fatal risks that could be avoided.

Bob
Blackman, T&G national secretary for construction, said: "Too many
construction companies are putting the lives of their employees at risk. Only
this year, the HSE surveyed sites in London and had to issue prohibition
notices on more than half of them. These places were so dangerous, work had to
be stopped immediately.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

Email(Required)

OptOut

From time to time, we will send you emails about selected products, events and services from Personnel Today and OHW+ - but you can choose to opt-out at any time. If you do not wish to receive these emails, please tick this box.

Name

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Δ

"The
really tragic thing about these deaths is that they are avoidable. Penalties on
companies should be much tougher, with a minimum fine set high enough to ensure
companies act responsibly."

By Quentin Reade