Over the years, construction has ranked among industries with the highest rates of both fatal and nonfatal occupational injuries.

Millions of construction workers build and maintain roads, houses, workplaces and physical infrastructure. This work includes many inherently hazardous tasks and conditions such as work at height, excavations, noise, dust, power tools and equipment, confined spaces, and electricity.

The workers have a right to a safe and healthful workplace. That's why exist laws, requiring employers to provide workplaces free from serious recognized hazards and to comply with occupational safety and health standards. Legislation wants every worker to go home whole and healthy every day. It is necessary to help protect workers of all sectors by setting and enforcing workplace safety and health standards and by providing safety and health information, training and assistance to workers and employers.

In the United States, construction has about 6% of U.S. workers, but 20% of the fatalities - the largest number of fatalities reported for any of the industry sectors.

The construction sector is strategically important for Europe providing building and infrastructure on which all sectors of the economy depend.

Researchers are trying to identify causes of and develop programs to prevent injuries and fatalities in construction. We are presenting you an interesting European initiative, promoted by associations of construction companies and manufacturers from six European countries, the Var Trainer European project, which consists of developing training simulators for handling machinery aimed at workers in the construction sector to avoid risks in the workplace.

You will find more information on this interesting topic in the article A project to prevent risks on construction worksites that you will find attached with our 43rd Progressive Newsletter.

Worker involvement is widely seen as a key factor in improving safety and ergonomic performance. The transient nature of construction sites presents particular challenges to implementing and maintaining such participation. Developing effective training that actually means something to people is a problem professionals in many fields have to face. 

 
 
Takis A. Haggiandreou
Director
 

Back to the top