Global construction industry facing endemic workplace harm problem
Construction has been named the second most dangerous occupation globally, following the publication of the latest Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll report.
Data taken from the World Risk Poll shows that almost one in five (18%) of the current global workforce has personally experienced harm at work in the past two years. When compared to other sectors, those in construction are among the most likely to be harmed at work, alongside people in the fishing and mining industries.
The findings are detailed in a new report from Lloyd’s Register Foundation – Engineering safer workplaces: Global trends in occupational safety and health – which is based on data from the latest World Risk Poll. The data was collected by global analytics firm Gallup, which conducted 147,000 interviews in 142 countries and territories around the world.
In total, 22% of construction workers have experienced harm in the workplace in the past two years, four points above the global average of 18%. The report identifies several potential causes, such as working with heavy machinery and spending many hours outdoors in the elements, as well as exposure to hazardous substances. The data shows that men – who are statistically more numerous within the industry – have a higher rate of workplace harm than women. This suggests that men and women aren’t always exposed to the same levels of risk – which often varies based on on-site roles, with men being more likely to do front-line jobs.
However, male and female respondents working in construction also appear to have received differing levels of training. When asked whether they had received safety and health training about their work, women (48%) were significantly more likely to say they had than men (38%).
Globally, three in five construction workers (60%) say they have never received any safety and health training about the risks associated with their work. However, this is significantly impacted by the region where people live and are employed. For example, rates of recent workplace safety training in construction differ from four in five (82%) in Australia and New Zealand to just 6% in Northern Africa.
Figures are also considerably different when factoring in people’s employment status. Of those working in construction, there is a significant gap between those employed full-time for an employer receiving health or safety training (43%) and those who are self-employed (33%).
