8 July 2009 – Inquiry report into construction fatal accidents published

A report into construction deaths is published today by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The inquiry report, commissioned by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and undertaken by an independent Chair, investigates the underlying causes of construction fatal accidents.

It sets out far-reaching recommendations for improving safety in the construction industry, extending across safety representatives, building control, the legal system, training and competence, and public procurement.

Commenting on the report, Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said:

"I am very grateful to Rita Donaghy for her thorough work, involving wide consultations with stakeholders. Despite the welcome recent fall in construction fatalities, any death or major injury is a tragedy for individuals, their families and their colleagues, and more work is needed to bring the number of accidents down."

The report makes a number of recommendations which Government Departments will now consider, alongside the current and future safety challenges posed by the construction industry.

Rita Donaghy said:

"The inquiry involved a widespread stakeholder consultation which generated a large amount of interest. I was eager to hear the views of as many people as possible and these are reflected in the report.

"I was keen to see what lessons we could learn from the root causes of construction accidents so that we can help to improve the health and safety of construction workers and I hope that Government and other stakeholders will welcome the recommendations."

DWP will now be consulting with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the industry, trade unions and other relevant Government Departments, to fully consider all the recommendations before responding later in the year.

The inquiry included a comprehensive review of existing work to consolidate the understanding of fatal injuries in the construction industry and a deeper analysis of underlying causes, including factors outside the health and safety system. Rita Donaghy was assisted by independent academic peer reviewers, with detailed knowledge of the industry.

Notes to Editors

1. The latest Health and Safety Executive (HSE) fatal injury statistics for 2008/9 show 53 fatal injuries to construction workers were recorded – a rate of 2.4 per 100,000 workers – a significant fall from the 72 recorded in 2007/08 and from the average number of fatalities (70) for the previous five years.
2. The figures for 2008/09 are provisional. They will be finalised in June 2010 following any necessary adjustments arising from investigations, in which new facts can emerge about whether the accident was work-related. The delay of a year in finalising the figures allows for such matters to be fully resolved in the light of formal interviews with all relevant witnesses, forensic investigation and coroners rulings.
3. Rita Donaghy was Chair of ACAS between 2000-07 and has held a number of other public appointments including a Member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life and Low Pay Commission. Rita was President of the TUC 1999-2000 and a Member of the TUC General Council 1987-2000.

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