The construction industry accounted for around 36% of all workplace fatalities in the UK in the most recent year that data was available. This was double the next highest sector. There are also tens of thousands of serious accidents and many more cases of ill health due to construction work each year.
Organisations operating in construction have a moral, legal and financial duty to assess the hazards inherent in their operations and protect employees and others. Employers must ensure all employees understand the measures used to protect them, including the risk assessment process. This construction risk assessment course supports meeting these obligations.
Using the risk assessment process and applying the hierarchy of controls to construction sites is fundamental to preventing accidents and ill health from occurring. Managers, health and safety officers, and front-line employees need to understand this tool and use it if we are to improve performance in the sector.
Each year many construction site workers are seriously injured or killed each year due to their work. Many more suffer from work-related ill-health, such as asbestosis, dermatitis and musculoskeletal disorders.
Employers also have clear legal duties to conduct risk assessments. Employees must be provided adequate information, instruction and training to understand the measures in place to protect them.