Working at heights still the number one cause of construction safety incidents

A major Australian study of more than 10,000 construction incidents conducted by the University of Newcastle’s Centre for Construction Safety and Wellbeing, undertaken amidst an injury surge, has identified that the top ten causes of construction incidents involved falling objects and working at heights as the most frequent hazards.

Incident Trends identify that despite preventative efforts, serious injuries and fatalities in the construction industry are increasing, with data indicating the number of incidents increased by an average of 13.7 per cent every year over the study period.

The research identified:

• 1 in 5 incidents involved falling objects from roofing, crane operations or scaffolding.
• The second most common cause of injury stemmed from working from heights, with contributing factors being uneven or slippery surfaces, inadequate fall protection and fatigue.
• 50% of incidents were directly attributed to the use of tools and equipment
• 21% of incidents were contributed to by workplace conditions – heights, extreme temperatures, confined spaces, inadequate ventilation.
• 17% of incidents involved tasks such as trenching, excavation, demolition and installation of heavy concrete panels.

Researchers emphasised an urgent need to introduce new safety technologies and better workplace design to address these hazards effectively. They also categorised the studied incidents as being associated with the construction process, equipment and tools, humans, materials, or workplace conditions. ₁ 

Read the article in full here.

1. OHS Alert-  Article ‘Top 10 incident causes identified amidst injury surge’ 17/04/2025