New figures reveal there were more than twice as many work-related deaths in construction than in any other industry last financial year.
Statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that 45 construction workers died at work in 2022/23, up from 29 in 2021/22 and 39 in 2020/21.
This total is well ahead of the second-leading sector for worker deaths: agriculture, forestry and fishing, which is counted as one sector and recorded 21 deaths.
Both the manufacturing and transportation and storage sectors recorded 15 worker deaths during the period.
In terms of fatal injury rate per 100,000 workers, construction was the third most dangerous industry, with 2.1 deaths per 100,000, compared to 7.9 for agriculture, forestry and fishing and the 5 of waste and recycling.
Construction worker deaths during this period included father-of-four Jason Waring, 48, who worked for Bylor at Hinkley Point C. He died following a traffic incident at the site of Somerset in November in what was the first fatality in the £26 billion project’s history.
Bylor project manager Chris Wilkinson said shortly afterwards: “He was an excellent supervisor and will be fondly remembered by his colleagues as someone who was fun to spend time with. The whole team is shocked and upset for his death.”
In July 2022, a 35-year-old employee of structural works subcontractor Kilnbridge died during improvement works at Gatwick Airport railway station under main contractor Costain and client Network Rail.
A 52-year-old subcontractor died at Graham’s Foresterhill Health Campus in Aberdeen in January, while a subcontractor in his 20s died at a Glencar logistics center in Staffordshire in March.
There were a total of 135 worker deaths in 2022/23 across all industries, up from 123 the previous year. In 2019/20 there was a record number of workplace fatalities with 111.
The three most frequent causes of fatal injuries were falls from height, with 40 cases; being struck by a moving object, which was responsible for 29 fatalities; and being hit by a moving vehicle, which killed 20 people in all sectors.
Sarah Albon, chief executive of the HSE, said: “Any loss of life in the workplace is a tragedy. While these figures show that Britain is one of the safest countries in the world to work in, safety must continue being at the top of everyone’s agenda.
“Our mission is to protect people and places, and we remain committed to keeping workplaces safe and holding employers accountable for their actions.”
Earlier this week, Construction news reported that two victims of the 2020 Bow crane collapse that killed 85-year-old June Harvey are suing a housing association and a subcontractor over the incident.
June’s great-nephew Chris Atkinson and barrister Helen Clifford criticized the length of time the investigation into the incident took, while local MP Apsana Begum questioned the level of funding received by the police and HSE for investigate and enforce construction safety.
