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Health and Safety

We're Here to Make Our Industry Safer.

There is no doubt that construction is one of the most dangerous industries in the UK. Every year dozens of people die on site, several thousands get injured or develop work-related health problems. This is why improving health and safety on construction sites plays a key role in UCATT's daily work and ongoing campaigns. We want employers to comply with the existing health and safety regulations, and we want workers to know their rights. Every worker also needs to have a good grasp of major workplace dangers so they can contribute to a better protection.

In the section Key Health and Safety Issues you find information about major health and safety issues such as:

  • information on workplace hazards
  • guidance on what each worker can do to prevent injuries and work-related ill health
  • legal developments and
  • information on and for safety reps.

You can also download the bi-monthly Health and Safety News bulletins which provide updates about ongoing developments and events.

Key Health & Safety Issues

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Friday, 01 August 2008

Occupational ill-health

Occupational ill-health is the umbrella term for a variety of diseases and health problems that have been caused by or made worse by a person’s work activity or work environment.

Occupational ill-health is a major problem in the construction industry. The most common work-related illnesses affecting building workers are musculoskeletal conditions, asbestos-related diseases and the effects of noise and vibration exposure.

In 2006/07, 2.2 million people were suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by their current or past work. 90,000 people whose current or most recent job was in construction suffered from an illness which was caused or made worse by this job.

Last year 36 million working days were lost in all sectors (1.5 days per worker), of which 30 million were lost due to work-related ill health. There were almost 2 million working days lost in the construction industry alone.

Please note that under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR) employers must report injuries which result in more than 3 days off work to the Health and Safety Executive. 

If you suffer from any health issue you think is related to your work please get in touch with your UCATT safety rep or UCATT official. This will ensure that you get necessary support. It can also be the first step to seek possible compensation.