Specialist Contractors have maintained their excellent safety record for another year, according to the results of the 2013/14 National Specialist Contractors’ Council (NSCC) Accident Survey.
Over the last 11 years that NSCC has been undertaking its annual survey, the NSCC fatality rate has fallen by 81% and the specified/major injury rate by 57%. Both the NSCC fatality rate and over 7-day injury rate for 2013/14 were lower than the industry as a whole. NSCC recorded one fatality at a rate of 0.7 per 100,000 workers compared to 42 fatalities across the industry at a rate of 2.0 per 100,000 workers. The over 7-day injury rate was 225.3 per 100,000 workers compared to 260.1 per 100,000 workers for the industry. The NSCC specified/major injury rate was the second lowest in the 11-year history of the survey at 155.7 per 100,000 workers.
The NSCC survey also recorded information on the types of accidents occurring to Specialist Contractors which shows that almost two thirds of all accidents were the result of slips and trips, handling and lifting, or falls from height. These types of accident have also been the most prevalent in previous years of the survey which is consistent not only with construction but also other industries in the UK.
All NSCC member organisations provided information as part of the survey with responses from over 2,400 Specialist Contractors employing almost 135,000 operatives. The continued high level of response demonstrates how important health and safety is to NSCC Specialist Contractors and enables NSCC to identify trends and provide relevant guidance to reduce the risk of accidents recurring in the future.
NSCC chief executive Suzannah Nichol MBE said: “In a year which saw the first increases in activity in the specialist sector following the recession, it is encouraging that NSCC Specialist Contractors are still leading the way when it comes to on-site safety. With the industry preparing for an even better year in 2015, clients can be confident that specifying an NSCC Specialist Contractor is the safest option.”