About 70% of workers admit that they work unsafely at height (Photo: ShutterStock)
In recent years, about 60% of all fatalities in work accidents originate in the construction industry.
One of the main reasons for fatal work accidents in general and in the construction industry in particular is a fall from a height, along with the collapse of infrastructure or scaffolding.
According to the Safety Administration's 2022 summary report, falling from a height is still the main cause of fatal accidents in 2022 (20 accidents from falling from a height).
Its incidence of all fatal work accidents is 41%, similar to its incidence in 2021.
A new study by the Safety and Standards Institute from January 2023 presents a problematic picture regarding the way in which the safety guidelines are implemented at the construction sites by the managers and workers.
Thus, about 70% of the workers admit that they work in an unsafe manner at height, about 40% of the workers questioned reported that they were not provided with appropriate equipment for working at height, 33% do not know how to match the correct safety equipment to the task at the work site, and about 12% of the workers at height Working without a valid permit.
Findings of a safety survey for work at height (photo: the Institute for Safety and Standards)
A central point that came up in the research is regarding the gap between what the employees define as observing the safety guidelines and what is actually done.
More than three quarters of the workers testify to themselves that they follow the rules at work, but in practice half of them work not according to the rules, as was revealed by their answers when they were asked about unsafe actions they do.
In addition, only 40% think that their co-workers adhere to safe work.
Almost all the employees testify that it is important for them to take care of themselves, at the same time about half of them do not fully agree with the safety rules and therefore do not follow them either.
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Most of the employees (60%) think that their managers pay attention to safety and that they will warn them if they do not follow the safety rules, this means that 40% testify that the managers do not show that safety is their top priority.
When managers care about safety, employees are more careful about safety guidelines and work instructions.
Examining the factors related to safety behavior, it was found that training and the provision of personal protective equipment are related to greater adherence to safety work on the part of the employees.
Findings of a safety survey for work at height (photo: the Institute for Safety and Standards)
In places where training was carried out before performing a task of working at height, it was found that 46% did not violate the safety guidelines at all during the month, 33.3% violated a little and 20.6% violated safety rules every day.
This, compared to employees who did not receive safety training, where the picture was the opposite: 43.8% violated the safety instructions every day, 31.3% violated a little and only 25% did not violate at all during the month.
When the employer provided all the required protective equipment, approximately 43.2% did not violate the guidelines and only 24.3 slightly violated the safety guidelines.
In contrast, when proper protective equipment was not provided, approximately 49% violated the safety guidelines every day and 26.7% violated the safety guidelines every week.
Director General of the Institute for Safety and Corrections, Dr. Mickey Winkler (photo: the Institute for Safety and Corrections)
The Director General of the Institute for Safety and Health, Dr. Mickey Winkler:
"The findings of the study are alarming and point to a problem among the managers at the construction sites. We see that there is a gap between what the managers and workers perceive as safety while working at height, and what needs to be done in practice."
"Workers at height need ongoing and regular training, we recommended that it be carried out before each assignment in order to take a time-out, refresh and verify the understanding of the risk of working at height, and the ways to minimize the risk to prevent the accident, provide the workers with all the protective equipment they need for the task and ensure correct use of the equipment."
In conclusion, says Winkler, that "the lack of strictness and turning a blind eye of the managers at work sites is a ticking time bomb that costs us human lives".
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