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Scaffold Fall Leads To Slow Death
Mark Tolley, 51, fell nearly two metres through an opening in a scaffold working as a sub-contractor on six houses in Kent. The construction firm has been...
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Accidents WILL Happen
Two fifths of people in construction say an accident is inevitable on their sites says the latest research from Slater and Gordon.
The research also shows that 78% of construction workers have already been in or seen an accident in the workplace.
The specialist legal services company surveyed 500 people that work in physical construction jobs across the UK to determine just how safe they believe their work is. When asked, 40% of those surveyed said they sometimes feel unsafe whilst at work and 41% said they have been made to work in unsafe conditions.
Shockingly, of those asked, 38 per cent believe that a serious accident is inevitable on the sites they’ve worked on with almost half (48 per cent) stating that their boss could have done more to improve construction site safety.
The most common injuries that those working on construction sustained in the workplace are:
• Slips, trips, falls (45.13%)
• Cuts/lacerations (42.82%)
• Muscle strain (41.54%)
• Hit by falling objects (25.13%)
• Repetitive strain injury (21.03%)
• Machinery accident (12.31%)
• Scaffolding accident (11.03%)
• Crashes/collusions (7.69%)
• Caught between objects or machine (7.18%)
• Chemical exposure (7.18%)
• Electrocution (6.15%)
• Gas leak, fire, explosion (5.64%)
• Heat stroke/hyperthermia/exposure (5.64%)
• Acts of violence (5.38%)
• Hit by a vehicle (4.10%)
Deaths
Even though strides have been taken in recent years to improve the safety of people on construction sites, this remains a high-risk industry and accounts for a large percentage of fatal and major injuries. In fact, data released by the Health and Safety Executive revealed that 30 of the 123 work-related deaths in 2021/2022 occurred in the sector.
Take it legal
With that in mind, Slater and Gordon is calling on those within the industry to take a pledge to ensure that health and safety on sites is top priority. The leading law firm has also created a toolbox of resources for people within the construction industry to access free of charge including a template letter to share with employers to formally report an accident, information on legal rights in the event of an accident on site and how to get the help that is needed.
Nicholas Hagi Savva, senior associate at Slater and Gordon says: “While we recognise that people do work hard to improve safety on construction sites, our research shows that they are still extremely dangerous places. As a law firm that specialises in personal injury cases, we have seen first-hand the devastating consequences of accidents on construction sites. We are committed to holding those responsible for construction site accidents accountable, however, we would much rather see these accidents prevented in the first place.
“Often, those who have been injured whilst at work aren’t sure of their rights and what their next steps should be. We want to make sure everyone has access to the information they need to make informed decisions and our toolbox of content will do exactly that.”
Picture: Two fifths of people in construction say an accident is inevitable on their sites.
Article written by Cathryn Ellis
11th May 2023