Construction Worker Deaths Double Any Other Industry 

2 August 2023

There were more than twice as many work-related deaths in construction than in any other industry in the last financial year, new figures reveal. Stats from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that 45 building workers died on the job in 2022/23, up from 29 in 2021/22 and 39 in 2020/21.

This total is well ahead of the second-placed sector for worker deaths: agriculture, forestry and fishing – which is counted as one sector and saw 21 deaths. Both the manufacturing and transportation and storage sectors saw 15 worker fatalities in the period.

On the rate of fatal injuries per 100,000 workers, construction was the third most dangerous industry, with 2.1 deaths per 100,000, compared with agriculture, forestry and fishing’s 7.9 and waste and recycling’s 5.

Among the construction worker deaths in the period was father-of-four Jason Waring, 48, who worked for Bylor at Hinkley Point C. He died after a traffic incident at the Somerset facility in November in what was the first fatality in the history of the £26bn project. Bylor project director Chris Wilkinson said soon afterwards: “He was an excellent supervisor and his colleagues will remember him fondly as someone who was fun to spend time with. The whole team is shocked and upset by his death.”

In July 2022, a 35-year-old employee of structural works subcontractor Kilnbridge died during upgrade works at Gatwick Airport rail station under main contractor Costain and client Network Rail.

A 52-year-old subcontractor died at Graham’s Foresterhill Health Campus in Aberdeen in January, while a subcontractor in his early 20s died at a Glencar logistics centre in Staffordshire in March.

There was a total of 135 worker deaths in 2022/23 across all industries, up from 123 the year before. In 2019/20 there was a record low number of workplace fatalities at 111.

The three most common causes of fatal injuries were falls from height, with 40 cases; being struck by a moving object, which was responsible for 29 fatalities; and being struck by a moving vehicle, which killed 20 people across all sectors.

HSE chief executive Sarah Albon said: “Any loss of life in the workplace is a tragedy. While these figures show Great Britain is one of the safest countries in the world to work, safety must continue to be at the top of everyone’s agenda.

“Our mission is to protect people and places and we remain committed to maintaining safe workplaces and holding employers to account for their actions.

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