Suva records over 10 '000 crashes on construction sites annually

A look at the accident statistics shows: The risk of accidents at work has fallen by 13 percent over the past ten years. However, the number of fall accidents has stagnated at a high level. And 10,500 people still fall at work every year. This means that falls from heights remain one of the greatest accident hazards on construction sites and in industry and commerce. Compared to other types of accidents, people who fall from heights are more likely to suffer serious or even fatal injuries. Last year, for example, several serious and fatal accidents occurred when people fell through fiber cement roofs. On the occasion of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on April 28, Suva reminds people to observe the vital rules. 

Even falls from low heights are dangerous

What is often underestimated: Falls from lower heights can also have dramatic consequences. In Suva-insured companies, almost 100 of the 5,500 occupational accidents involving ladders each year result in disability. Three of these end fatally. "Almost one in three occupational accidents with permanent damage or fatalities is a fall accident," says André Meier, head of the Occupational Safety and Health Department at Suva. That's why adherence to life-saving rules is so important. This is how two-thirds of all serious and fatal accidents can be avoided. Knowledge about these rules is available, but a sustainable prevention culture is sometimes lacking in companies. "In a functioning prevention culture, all employees take their responsibility for safe and healthy work seriously and have the courage to say stop when danger arises," says André Meier. Only when the danger has been eliminated should work continue.

Suva supports companies in developing a culture of prevention and has various Information resources  and Prevention modules on the topics of occupational safety and health protection in the offer. 

Eight vital rules for building construction

1. We secure fall edges from a fall height of 2 m.
2. We secure floor openings immediately.
3. We operate cranes in accordance with regulations and safely attach loads.
4. We work from a fall height of 3 m only with facade scaffolding.
5. We check the scaffolds on a daily basis.
6. We create safe access routes to all workstations.
7. We wear the personal protective equipment.
8. We secure trenches and excavations from a depth of 1.5 m.

Source: Suva