The Health and Safety Executive told the government this week that a trend towards fewer fatalities and major non-fatal injuries on site has not been established.
Kevin Myers, the HSE’s chief inspector of construction, presented his second report on health and safety performance in the construction industry to health and safety minister Nick Brown on Wednesday.

There were 79 fatal injuries in 2001/2, 26 fewer than the previous year, and Myers’ report said this fall was “grounds for optimism”. However, he added that he could not see convincing evidence that “an inexorable downward trend has yet been established, either for fatal or major non-fatal injuries”.

The report focuses on the implementation of plans agreed at the Construction Summit in 2001.