Construction deaths

Building design could make a significant difference to construction fatalities, according to new research by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

In 2002 there were 80 fatal accidents in the construction industry. Many employers in the industry remain sceptical about the argument that designers can and should make a difference to these incidents, but the HSE research concluded that almost half of all construction accidents could have been prevented by designer intervention.

Peer review of analysis of specialist group reports on causes of construction accidents (RR218) is available from HSE Books, price £25. It can be downloaded free from www.hse. gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr218.pdf