Lies, damned lies and HSE statistics

According to the Health and Safety Executive, the combined UK demolition and construction industry killed 45 of its number last year. But that is not the full story.

I have spent hours trying to find a suitable analogy for the story I am about to tell you.   And I have finally settled on using football to illustrate my point about the latest set of deaths in the workplace stats from the UK’s Health and Safety Executive.

For this to work, I need you to imagine that – like me – you are a West Ham United supporter.   For background, let me tell you that West Ham doesn’t win things.   Aside from winning a competition no-one has heard of a few months ago, the West Ham trophy cabinet has been devoid of trophies and silverware for 43 years.

When West Ham come up against a team like Manchester City – arguably the best team in the entire world – I don’t attend and I don’t listen to the radio.   It is just too painful.

OK, so now you understand what it’s like to be a West Ham fan, imagine turning on the TV on a Saturday evening to see that West Ham were indeed beaten comprehensively by Manchester City.   The score was 5 – 0, slightly worse than the 4 – 0 last season.

Even though you know the outcome, you settle down to watch the “highlights” on Match of the Day.   Four goals go in, then five, then six.   10.   12!   When the 14^th goal goes in, you can watch no longer.

What on Earth is going on?   The TV news definitely said the score was 5 – 0.

And then you read the small print.   For reasons best known to themselves, the TV news has decided that it is no longer counting headed goals.   Nor is it counting goals scored by foreign players.   Or own goals.

Madness, right.   Why make such an arbitrary distinction?   Why omit such key information?

So on Thursday last week, the UK’s Health and Safety Executive published its annual statistics on fatal accidents within the workplace.

Construction – which includes demolition – was the most-deadly sector yet again, notching up 45 site deaths in the period 2022/23.   That is up on the 37 deaths recorded within the industry in the same period during the prior year.

45 deaths in a year.   Factor in holidays, and that is the equivalent to more than one per week for an entire year.

But like my imaginary 5 – 0 West Ham score, this is not the full picture.  

You see, the HSE statement also details the deaths of 2,268 people from Mesothelioma.   Although that stats don’t say as much, it is likely that a good proportion of those deaths will have been suffered by individuals that had previously worked in demolition and construction.   However, for some inexplicable reason, these deaths are considered different.   Separate.

But at least they are mentioned; which is more than can be said for the industry deaths by suicide.   According to the latest figures published at the end of last year, 507 construction workers took their own life in 2021/22.   Stir those into the mix and the roughly one industry death per week becomes 10 industry deaths per week.

And even that may not be the full picture.   There is, yet again, no mention of drugs and alcohol-related deaths within the industry which may or may not have been attributable to the construction industry and its working practices.

Furthermore, the HSE stats explain that the three most common causes of fatal injuries across all industries were falls from height, being struck by a moving object, and being struck by a moving vehicle.   But those same stats do not state whether any of those may have been caused by the presence of drugs or alcohol.

Given this strange approach to that which is reported and that which isn’t, I have a question.   In fact, I have two.

If someone with documented mental health issues “falls” from the top of a building that is being built or demolished, is it recorded as a fall from height, or it is excluded because it was a suicide?

If someone is struck and killed by a wheel loader, it is recorded as a death resulting from being hit by a moving vehicle or is it struck from the record when it transpires that the wheel loader operator was, in fact, drunk at the time of the incident?

45 site deaths is bad.   Very bad.   The combined demolition and construction should hang its head in shame that it is killing its workers at a rate of more than one per week.

But the truth is much, much worse.