Construction work is not only tough but also dangerous. 97 people died there last year. One cause was particularly common.
Last year, 97 people died in construction accidents in Germany. That was 27 cases more than in the previous year, as the construction trade association announced in Berlin.
In addition to 19 fatal accidents on arrival and departure from the construction site, falls from a great height were the most common cause. With 44 victims, they made up almost half in 2020.
The employers’ liability insurance association as well as the IG Bauen Agrar Umwelt trade union announced further efforts for prevention. The awareness of the risks must be in the minds of the people, explained the President of the Association of Carpenters and Timber Construction Baden-Wuerttemberg, Gerd Renz: “We have to set an example of security and away from false heroism. It’s cool if you secure yourself – and not if you dare to climb to the top without being secured. ”
IG-BAU boss Robert Feiger also complained about a “clear monitoring deficit” in the state health and safety controls in the federal states. It should not only be placed on the responsibility of the companies, but there is a need for greater control pressure on those companies that do not take security seriously and precisely. Nationwide, 1,439 supervisory officers are far too few, said Feiger.
The number of notifiable accidents at work in the construction industry, on the other hand, fell slightly by 2.6 percent to just under 104,000, as the employers’ liability insurance association also reported. Reportable commuting accidents also decreased by around 10 percent to 7723 incidents. An occupational disease was suspected in around 15,800 cases, almost one percent more than in 2019. White skin cancer, noise-induced hearing loss and lung cancer in connection with asbestos are particularly common in construction.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
