The number of construction workers killed fell to 42 in the year ended 31 March 2010, but the sector still accounts for more deaths than any other industry.

The figures are an improvement on last year when 52 fatalities were recorded, and are part of a broader decline in deaths since 2000/01, when 105 workers were killed.

The number of deaths per 100,000 workers was also down, from 2.9 last year to 2.2, and down from 5.9 in 2000/2001. The figure for agriculture deaths per 100,000 workers (8) was the highest of any sector.

The number of major injuries per 100,000 construction workers fell from 266.7 in 2008/09 to 230 this year, which is slightly lower than for agriculture (242.1).

Lord Young’s report into health and safety for the government, published two weeks ago, found that conditions on construction sites had radically improved over the past 20 years.
“Anybody looking at a construction site today would find it hard to recognise from a similar site only a decade or two ago, and this applies throughout all hazardous occupations,” the report said.

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