Research by construction union UCATT has revealed that 10 construction workers were fatally injured in Scotland in 2008/9.
The total of 10 deaths is one fewer than occurred in Scotland in 2007/8. The number of deaths in Scotland was the second highest in Britain, there were 11 deaths in London in 2008/9.
The total number of construction deaths in the United Kingdom fell from 72 in 2007/8 to 53 in 2008/9, a decrease of 26 per cent. However the small decrease of deaths in Scotland was substantially below the national average.
The national decline in fatal accidents was principally due to the recession, which has led to a steep decline in construction output and in a large number of construction workers being laid off.
Construction remains the most dangerous industry in Britain. The industry is highly casualised. Many workers do not have contracts of employment, regularly move between employers and/or are bogusly self-employed. In recent years there has been a substantial increase in the number of workers being supplied to construction companies through employment agencies and gangmasters.
Harry Frew, regional secretary for UCATT Scotland, said: It is important to remember that each of these deaths is an individual tragedy. Families have lost a loved one, who one day never returned from work. Far more needs to be done to prevent deaths from occurring in the future.
Analysis of the national data on fatalities shows that the most likely cause of death remains falls. In 2008/9 there were 21 deaths caused by falls, 40% of all deaths. The second highest number of deaths were caused by people being hit by a moving or falling object, this accounted for 5 deaths, 9% of the overall total.