The UK Government estimates that 2.2 million people work in construction – the country's biggest sector – and unfortunately, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), it's also responsible for the largest number of fatalities of any sector, recording forty-two deaths in 2009/10. While agriculture is statistically the most dangerous sector, with an average of 8.7 deaths for every 100,000 workers (compared to construction's 2.2 per 100,000), construction remains four times more dangerous than the average across all sectors. The rate of major injury is, however, the highest of any sector, with 2008/9 figures showing 254 major injuries per 100,000 workers. According to the HSE's Construction Division's Plan of Work 2010/11, that equates to more than 2 million working days lost through work-related injury and ill health.
In this programme Philip White, HSE's Chief Inspector of Construction and author of the Plan of Work 2010/11 talks about the HSE's plans to tackle those deaths, injuries and lost working days.
