The number of deaths of construction industry workers has reached a four-year high, new figures reveal.
Data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) shows 51 construction workers died of injuries on site in 2023/24, more than any year since 2020/21.
The total was more than double of any other industry, with 23 fatalities recorded in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector.
Deaths in construction made up more than a third of the UK total for all sectors, of 138.
Construction was the second most dangerous industry when measured by the rate of fatal injuries per 100,000 workers, with 2.43 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers, up from 2.1 compared with 2022/23. But it was less than the figure for agriculture, forestry and fishing, of 7.51.
Among the construction workers to have died in the past year was 26-year-old Michael Jones, who died in August 2023 while working at Laing O’Rourke’s project at the new Everton FC stadium. He died after he was caught between the scissor ladder he was operating and a beam.
Charlie Harper, a 71-year old drill worker, also died in 2023/24 while working an HS2 site in Solihull, operated by Balfour Beatty Vinci JV. He died a day after he was hit by the end of an unsecured pipe.
Earlier this year, a coroner issued a safety warning after an investigation into Harper’s death, warning that failing to secure the coiled pipe had contributed to his death.
In November 2023, a man died at a housing construction site in Ramsgate operated by Barratt David Wilson Homes.
The most common cause of a work-related fatality across all sectors was a fall from height, accounting for 50 of the 138 deaths in 2023/24. That was double the second most common cause, which was being struck by a moving vehicle.
HSE chief executive Sarah Albon said the UK was one of the safest countries in the world to work, but that “these statistics serve as a reminder that there is still room for further improvement”.
“We remain committed to ensuring people remain safe and healthy wherever work is taking place,” she added.
Earlier this month, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) demanded the sector use data more widely to drive better health and safety outcomes.
