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Construction Deaths Increased by 140% in 2019

Construction Deaths
20 January 2020
Est. Reading: 2 minutes

Construction deaths have more than doubled in the last year, it has emerged, as the latest figures released by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) show there were 46 fatalities in the workplace in 2019. Provisional data, released last week, shows an 18% rise from the previous year when 39 people died.

Chief Executive Officer of the HSA, Dr Sharon McGuinness, expressed concern that construction deaths had increased from five in 2018 to 12 in 2019, with 75% of all fatal injuries taking place in the last six months. With falls from heights the leading cause of all construction worker deaths last year, she highlighted the Authority’s concern that many of the fatalities involved small companies and self-employed tradespeople.

Construction Deaths: a Response

“The figures show that the number of construction deaths have increased to levels not seen since they last spiked in 2015, when falls from a height were also the biggest trigger in fatal injuries.

“This is a worrying trend and shows that without proper risk assessments and health and safety considerations, ultimately a worker may pay the price with their life,” Dr McGuinness warned. She said that the HSA’s provisional statistics show that the rate of construction fatalities has increased considerably in the last year from 3.5 per 100,000 people employed to approximately 8.2 per 100,000.

“Construction workers engage in many activities that may expose them to hazards, such as falling from a height, unguarded machinery or being struck by construction equipment. Our provisional data also shows that 940 non-fatal incidents and dangerous occurrences were reported to the HSA from the construction sector in 2019.

“While the message seems to have got through to big construction firms who have improved standards around worker safety, what we are seeing is self-employed and smaller building companies not realising their duty and responsibility to staff, and cutting corners when it comes to health and safety.

“We plan to target working at heights throughout our construction safety campaigns this year, and will also engage directly with the sector to increase knowledge and application of risk assessment tools to be used on all sites.”

A Dangerous Mindset

Predicting that incidents and deaths will continue to rise until there is a change of mindset, Dr McGuinness said: “Most deaths are preventable. Generally, incidents occur when safety shortcuts are taken. But the mentality of placing people's lives in peril in the race to finish a job - or save money - needs to stop. Lives depend on it.”

However, the annual data also found that farming was still the most dangerous sector, with 18 fatalities in 2019, followed by construction and transportation and storage, accounting for 12 and six deaths, respectively, last year.

Read the full breakdown here.

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