The World Risk Poll reveals that 18 per cent of the global workforce has experienced workplace harm in the past two years, with construction workers being among the most likely to be affected. This data is based on data from Gallup, which conducted 147,000 interviews in 142 countries and territories around the world. In total, 22 per cent of construction workers have experienced harm in the workplace in the past two years, four points above the global average of 18 per cent.
The report identifies several potential causes, such as working with heavy machinery, spending many hours outdoors in the elements, and exposure to hazardous substances. Men, who are statistically more numerous within the industry, have a higher rate of workplace harm than women, suggesting that men and women are not always exposed to the same levels of risk. However, female respondents working in construction also appear to have received differing levels of training. Women (48 per cent) were significantly more likely to say they had received safety and health training than men (38 per cent).
Globally, three in five construction workers (60 per cent) say they have never received any safety and health training about the risks associated with their work. This is significantly impacted by the region where people live and are employed. Rates of recent workplace safety training in construction differ from four in five (82 per cent) in Australia and New Zealand to just 6 per cent in Northern Africa.
Chris Alderson, Chief Executive Officer at Construction Health and Safety New Zealand, said that construction workers face dangerous risks in their day-to-day lives, including falling from height, electrocution, handling heavy materials, and working in volatile weather conditions. One contributing factor for those working in construction who are injured is the focus of the training they receive, which tends to be a gap in knowledge and awareness of actual risks they will face on site.
