The Building Safety Group, which looks after the health and safety of workers on over 3,200 construction sites and other places of work, analysed accident statistics and found a 133% increase in the number of construction workers injured due to a slip, trip or fall in the three months from November to January compared to the quarter before.
Despite the reduced number of working hours over the Christmas period there was also an increase of 6.21% in the overall number of accidents recorded.
Encouragingly, falls from height, which had increased by 140% in the previous quarter, were back down again almost to the level they were in the summer, with 11 accidents of this type reported.
50% of the 188 recorded accidents were caused by people either being hit by moving, flying or falling objects or by injuries caused while handling, lifting or carrying. Significantly those accidents caused by workers hit with flying or falling objects increased by 36% this quarter rising from 33 to 45 accidents.
The number of accidents caused by contact with electricity fell from five down to two accidents.
Building Safety Group managing director Paul Kimpton said: “It is disappointing that the overall number of accidents went up in the last quarter especially given the reduced number of working days which means there were more accidents per working day.
“Given the weather conditions it may not be surprising that the increase was mainly due to the additional number of slips, trips and falls, although this type of accident can be avoided with proper precautions and forward planning.”
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