Construction industry’s deadly statistics
AUCKLAND: Two workers die in construction every month and one is seriously injured every day, new statistics released yesterday revealed, leading experts to call for a renewed focus on construction health and safety.
This comes after a number of accidents on construction sites recently.
This week, a construction worker died after scaffolding he was installing on units in an Auckland suburb collapsed, trapping him underneath.
Last Friday, two people were critically injured and three others suffered moderate burns following an explosion at a construction site in Wynyard Quarter on Auckland’s viaduct.
WorkSafe NZ, Construction Health and Safety NZ (CHASNZ) and the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) said the focus needed to be reestablished on healthy and safety within the construction sector.
Since January 1, 2021, at least two workers have died in construction every month and just over one worker per day has been seriously injured.
CTU president Richard Wagstaff admitted to Newstalk ZB the construction sector had a terrible record of workers getting killed or injured on the job.
‘‘The explosion last week at the waterfront really again reminded us that we have to step up because too many people are dying, too many people are getting hurt.’’
He also expressed his concern about people potentially avoiding working in the sector due to its dangerous reputation.
CHASNZ chief executive Chris Alderson said more time needed to be put into site supervisors and workforce so they could focus on getting the job done right, rather than fast, cheaply or without the things that made the work safer.
‘‘We need the courage to challenge doing things in the name of health and safety that don’t actually improve safety on site. [The] construction workforce is currently under extreme pressure from internal and external factors and this also increases the risk of a normal day’s work becoming one with a tragic outcome,’’ Mr Alderson said.
WorkSafe chief executive Phil Parkes said construction workers were owed a duty of care by their employers and sadly many were not being supported.
‘‘Workers, family, whanau and communities pay the cost of poor health and safety practices in construction every day through illness, injury and death. This must change immediately,’’ Mr Parkes said.
Failure to meet legal requirements would result in swift enforcement, he said.
‘‘Our message is clear: we need workers’ help to hold poor health and safety practices to account, including by speaking up if you feel safe to do so.’’