At Ability International we are well into the Halloween spirit! It’s been a very busy year as we’re coming out of the pandemic and we’re already looking forward to Christmas, but first let’s give Halloween the attention it deserves!
Here are some scary facts about work-related injuries…
1. It’s Mostly Men That Get Fatally Injured In Construction – 94%!
Did you know that almost EVERYONE injured on a Construction job is male? This is likely because there just aren’t that many women in the Construction industry, and of those there are, they tend to be found in jobs that don’t involve jobs with a high risk of fatal injury.
2. 24% Of Fatal Injuries Are To The Over-60s
The over-60s are massively over-represented in the falls from height category – they are a minority of workers and yet they make up a significant chunk of working at height-related injuries and fatalities.
Are the over-60s more likely to have ingrained working habits from a time when working at height safety was not as much of a priority as it is today?
3. Construction Is The Most Dangerous Profession!
Construction is the worst industry for falls from height, ahead of Agriculture and Manufacturing. This makes sense given the nature of the job, but is that any excuse? Maybe the industry that is known to be the most falls from height-prone should be the industry that is the most falls from height-wary!
4. 33% Of Injuries Are To Self-Employed Workers
Self-employed Construction experts only account for 16% of the industry and yet they make up such a large chunk of the injuries. This could be due to going at it solo and not wanting to be slowed down by handling heavy safety equipment, or by being self-employed and feeling less accountable to a manager, should something go wrong.
On a busy Construction job, we know it is all too easy to become impatient and cut corners with safety equipment, but you can never be too careful when working at height. Let’s hope the next report on working at height shows further improvement.
Contact Ability For Your Working At Height Needs
So those are our spooky workplace injury facts for the year! The Construction industry may be steadily improving but there is still much to be done. Something that many Construction companies can do to minimise their chances of a fatal injury is to protect themselves from a fall from height by investing in a Desksurfer for internal works, or a height-adjustable mobile tower for outside works.
If you’d like to find out more about cutting down on working at height risks for your Construction company, click here to make an enquiry.
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