UK statistics show construction fatalities are up; but what of demolition?
It’s that time of the year when the UK’s Health and Safety Executive collates and publishes that statistics for work-related deaths during the past 12 months.
Regardless of whether the overall trend is up or down – and in this instance, it’s up – these figures always make for deeply depressing reading. According to the 2010/11 stats, 50 UK construction workers failed to return home to their families last year. That represents a figure of 2.4 deaths per 100,000 industry workers, up slightly from the 1.9 per 100,000 recorded this time last year but down on the 2.8 per 100,000 five-year average.
What is equally depressing about these statistics is that – once again – demolition is “lumped together” with construction, making it all but impossible to tell whether we’re as safe (comparatively) as we’d like to think we are.
And, unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. The impressive recycling and environmental achievements of the demolition sector are similarly mired within those of the wasteful construction sector which – depending upon your viewpoint – makes them look undeservedly good, or us undeservedly bad.
The fact is that demolition as a whole has made enormous safety strides in the past few decades. And while I am not naive enough to describe demolition as an intrinsically safe industry, the fact remains that serious accidents and fatalities have been virtually eradicated from UK demolition sites through the development of new methodologies, improved training, and the greater use of mechanical means.
Despite having been asked the question on numerous occasions, it appears that the Health and Safety Executive will continue to tar us with the same brush as our less safe cousins in construction. It is just unfortunate that no-one outside the demolition industry will be aware of the fact.
