There were 39 fatal injuries to construction workers between April 2012 and March 2013, one of the lowest annual figures ever recorded by the HSE.
That compares to 48 construction deaths during 2011/12 and a five-year average of 53 fatalities a year since 2007/2008.
The provisional figures show that falls, including falls from height, remained the most common cause of death, accounting for 56% of construction worker fatalities over the year (22) versus 51% in 2011/12. Other causes of fatal accidents in the industry included being struck by a moving object (5), being struck by a moving vehicle (4), electrocution (2), being trapped by a falling vehicle or object (2) and death following interaction with machinery (2).
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The rate of fatal injury for construction workers remained high, at 1.9 per 100,000 workers, compared to an average of 0.5 per 100,000 across all sectors. In addition, five members of the public died as a result of construction activity.
The total figure for worker fatalities across all sectors during 2012/13 was 148, compared to 172 in 2011/12. The figure is also 18% lower than the average for the past five years (181). This means Britain has had one of the lowest fatal injury rates to workers in Europe for the last eight years.
Judith Hackitt, chair of the HSE said: “Although the number of people killed at work has dropped significantly, last year 148 people failed to return home to their loved ones. HSE is striving to make health and safety simpler and clearer for people to understand so that more people do what is required to manage the real risks that cause death and serious injury.
“We all have a part to play to ensure people come home safe at the end of the working day and good leadership, employee engagement and effective risk-management are key to achieving this.”
