How Safe Are Our Construction Sites, Really?

3,286 workers in the EU died on the job last year, with construction accounting for a fifth of those deaths. In the UK, the number of construction worker fatalities went up by 8% in the last year, with 51 workers losing their lives on-site. Additionally, non-fatal accidents are rampant with over 3,100 incidents per 100,000 workers.

Clearly, something needs to change. This was the impetus behind a new MILWAUKEE® study into construction safety. We wanted to find out just how safe tradespeople feel on-site and what can be done to improve the situation.

To find out, we surveyed 3,200 construction professionals from 14 European countries and, with only 35% saying they feel ‘totally’ safe, many workers are still going to work with some level of apprehension.

The study went further, showing that some risks are avoidable. Particularly, the persistent and incorrect use of poor-quality equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE), unsafe tools and a lack of training remain at the heart of the issue. Here are some of the key findings

What’s Really Going Wrong?

The standard of tools and PPE is a major concern with over two-fifths citing poor quality as a major contributor to on-site risk. This goes hand-in-hand with calls for better training on equipment use.

Whilst almost half of the participants (48%) had received full training, only 42% thought it was comprehensive; a worrying stat given the hazards of working with heavy equipment and machinery.

The prolific use of petrol-powered tools is another cause for alarm amongst construction workers, with an unsettling third (33%) of workers saying they’re exposed to harmful fumes from these tools most of the working week.

Better-equipped

Unsurprisingly workers want change. The resounding majority (92%) are eager to embrace the shift to battery-powered alternatives, with three-quarters (75%) expressing a desire for their employers to make the switch from petrol.

This also extends to investing in more premium tools and PPE, with over half (54%) the respondents ranking ‘better tools with more safety features’ as the top way to make sites safer. It’s an issue that is close to MILWAUKEE®’s heart, and we try our utmost to keep construction workers safe by providing them with the best-designed premium tools and PPE possible.

This includes ergonomically designed tools, that allow for a greater range of motion or deliver a better grip. It’s why we’ve developed lines such as our ground-breaking MX FUEL™ Equipment Systems as well as our comprehensive range of battery-powered Outdoor Power Equipment (OPE) and best-in-class PPE, not to mention our extensive ranges of power tools, hand tools, accessories and storage options.

Where do we go from here? Our organisation is actively working to educate the industry about the dangers of using substandard equipment, making safe, well-designed tools and PPE the standard, rather than the exception.