Work accidents- looking at the first half of 2020
Compared to the amount of cases reported to us to last year, we can see that the numbers have not significantly changed- 156 accidents occurred this year compared to 164 accidents last year. But the number of fatalities has decreased from 44 to 25. The decline is especially visible in the construction sector, which saw 25 fatalities last year, but only 14 during the same period of time this year. It is not yet possible to tell if this decrease is the result of the economic downturn or due to public pressure, awareness and legal requirements. We are hoping, of course, that these are the first signs of change, but we are aware that most of our demands have not been met so far. There still aren’t enough inspectors in the field and safety is not being given enough attention. Crane maintenance must be regulated and all breaches in safety met with legal fines. Sites with poor safety records should be closed permanently if needed and contractors must be removed from lists of eligible bidders for government contracts if they have ignored safety requirements. The list of course does not end here. We will continue to update you on this issue.