“Scary Numbers”
74 workers died on German construction sites in 2022
4/8/2023 4:43 p.m
Statistically, every three and a half working days, a worker dies in an accident on a construction site in Germany. A total of almost 100,000 construction accidents were reported last year. The fact that the numbers have fallen slightly year-on-year does not reassure the IG Bau union.
According to union information, 74 construction workers were fatally injured during work in Germany last year. A total of 99,380 construction accidents were reported, said the IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt (IG BAU). This is statistically one death every three and a half working days. “These are frightening numbers,” said union boss Robert Feiger.
In 2021, the union had counted 103,518 accidents, 85 of which were fatal. The union relies on the provisional annual balance for 2022 of the trade association for the construction industry. “Even if the numbers have fallen compared to the previous year, the number of accidents on the construction site is high,” explained Feiger. “Construction sites are still a problem child when it comes to occupational safety.”
According to Feiger, the main cause of the fatal accidents last year were falls from roofs and scaffolding. He assumes that there is a high number of unreported accidents at work: “On the one hand, many – especially minor accidents – are not reported at all,” explained the union boss. “On the other hand, where foreign workers work on construction sites, accidents are often trivialized or covered up.”
Carsten Burckhardt, the IG-BAU board member responsible for occupational safety, explained that most accidents happened in smaller companies. “We urgently need to create a different awareness here.”
However, Burckhardt warned that companies should not just rely on their own responsibility. “More control pressure is needed for companies that don’t really take occupational safety seriously.”