Government Response to Report into Construction Deaths

The Government has now published its response to Rita Donaghy's report into construction deaths which was published in July 2009.

The report was published following an inquiry into the underlying causes of fatal accidents in the construction industry, which was commissioned by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in December 2008. Full details of the report can be found here.

The report contained 28 recommendations for improving safety in the construction industry including recommending that positive duties are placed on company directors to ensure good health and safety practices, and extending licensing regulations to the construction industry.

The government has accepted 23 of the 28 recommendations, including support of Common Minimum Standards throughout publicly funded construction projects and will look further at the remaining recommendations including introducing more legal duties on company directors. The Government's full response can be viewed here.

The construction industry has the largest number of fatal injuries of the main industry groups, with 53 fatal injuries in 2008/2009, giving a rate of 2.5 per 100,000 workers. In 2008/2009, there were 180 fatalities at work in total. Whilst the number of fatal injuries in the construction industry has fallen (there were 72 deaths in 2007/2008), more is required to be done to reduce these numbers further.

If you have suffered an accident at work, find out if you have a claim for compensation on a No Win No Fee basis by contacting our specialist personal injury solicitors to obtain advice either by completing our online form or calling one of our solicitors on 0800 731 8434.

Caroline Kelly
Personal Injury Scotland