Research undertaken by construction union UCATT has revealed that there was a sharp increase in construction deaths in the North East last year.
In total four construction workers were killed in the region in 2008/9. In the previous reporting year 2007/8 year there were no reported fatalities in the North East. The increase in deaths in the North East is of particular concern as the overall number of construction fatalities significantly declined last year.
The 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. The decline was principally due to the recession, which has led to a steep drop in construction output and resulted 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.
John Scott, Regional Secretary for UCATT’s Northern Region, said: “The rise in deaths in the North East is of great concern, particularly as in recent years the region has enjoyed a better safety record than the rest of the country. Each one of these deaths is an individual tragedy. Everyone involved in construction in the North East must prioritise safety in order to ensure that this rise in deaths is never repeated.”
Further 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.