Construction Deaths Highest In London, South East And Scotland

Research by construction union UCATT has found wide regional disparities in construction deaths.

In 2007/8 there were a total of 72 construction deaths, a slight decrease of 2006/7 when 79 construction workers were killed.

A regional breakdown reveals that there were: 11 deaths in Scotland, 11 in London, 10 in Eastern England, 9 in the South West, 7 in Yorkshire, 7 in South East England, 6 in the North West, 4 in West Midlands, 4 in Wales and 1 death in the East Midlands.

There were no deaths recorded in the Northern Region. The Health and Safety Executive have been unable to locate where two of the workers were killed.

As in previous years death rates were generally higher in southern parts of the country compared to Northern England. Although death rates in Scotland remain high.

Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT, said: “Although each and every one of these deaths is an individual tragedy for the families concerned, far too many of these fatalities barely rated a mention in the media. Too often bosses regard deaths in construction as an inevitable consequence of the industry. That kind of shocking attitude must be stamped out.”

Since 2002 the number of enforcement notices and prosecutions issued by the Health and Safety Executive has been declining. The decline in enforcement activity has been caused by budget cuts and a reduction in the number of frontline inspectors.

The industry has also become increasingly casualised, with a large increase in the number of workers supplied through employment agencies and Gangmasters. This has resulted in a large number of inexperienced workers being placed on construction sites.

Construction is the most dangerous occupation in Britain, analysis shows that nationally the most likely causes of deaths were: fall from height (23 deaths), hit by a moving or flying object (16), electrocution (10).

It is estimated that management failure is a contributory factor in at least 70 per cent of construction deaths. However only 30 per cent of companies are prosecuted following the death of a construction worker. Even if a company is convicted fines are often just a few thousand pounds.

Mr Ritchie, added: “Unless the number of prosecutions and the penalties increase, bosses will believe that they can continue to get away with cutting corners on health and safety. Inevitably this attitude leads to serious injuries and loss of life.”

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