Health and safety statistics for the UK produced by the HSE state that around 4% of workers in the construction sector suffer from an illness they believe to be work-related and 3% sustain a work-related injury.
These statistics result in 2.2m working days lost due to work-related illnesses and injuries in 2013/14-2015/16.
With 30.4m working days lost overall due to work-related illness and workplace injury in 2015/16, this means that the construction sector alone accounts for almost 7.5% of all lost workdays.
Gary Ellis, from CE Safety, commented: “It goes without saying that health and safety in the workplace, particularly in industries such as construction, should be at the forefront of employers’ minds. In high risk working environments, processes can be put in place to avoid and prevent employees being injured or becoming ill.
“Simple things such as knowing when expiry dates on health and safety course are due for renewal, or ensuring the right number of first aiders and fire marshals are on site on a daily basis. There is more to health and safety than being legally compliant – preventing your employees from becoming ill or injured ultimately saves employers a lot of money in the long run.”
