20.06.2023 – 14:00
BG BAU trade association for the construction industry
Berlin (ots)
As the trade association for the construction industry (BG BAU) announced on Tuesday in Berlin, the number of accidents at work and on the way to work in the construction industry fell last year compared to 2021. In contrast, there were significantly more reported occupational diseases in 2022 than in the previous year. The most common occupational diseases include noise-induced hearing loss, white skin cancer caused by natural ultraviolet radiation and lung cancer caused by asbestos.
The number of reportable accidents at work in the construction industry and construction-related services fell from 103,525 in 2021 to 99,380 in 2022. That is a decrease of four percent. The number of reportable commuting accidents has also fallen. While it was still 8,808 in 2021, 8,298 commuting accidents were reported to the BG BAU last year. That’s around six percent less. The so-called thousand-person rate, which shows the relative frequency of accidents per 1,000 full-time employees, has also fallen. It will be 45.51 in 2022 (2021: 49.84).
74 employees died as a result of an accident at work in 2022. That was eleven fewer than in the previous year. In contrast, the number of fatal commuting accidents has risen significantly: 22 employees lost their lives on the way to or from work last year (2021: 12).
There has also been an increase in reports of suspected occupational diseases. From 16,492 suspicious transaction reports in 2021, the number rose to 18,228 in 2022. This corresponds to an overall increase of more than ten percent. The most frequently reported occupational diseases are noise-induced hearing loss (4,010), skin cancer from sun exposure (2,675), lower back diseases (1,666) and lung cancer from asbestos (1,291).
Dirk Müller, alternate chairman of the board of BG BAU, is generally positive about the past year: “2022 is the first year in which we have fewer than 100,000 reportable accidents at work in the construction industry. That’s good news.” At the same time, Müller warns: “Nevertheless, that’s no reason for us to sit back and relax. On the contrary: there is still a lot to be done to advance occupational safety and make it even more effective.”
Mathias Neuser, Acting Chairman of the Board of Directors of BG BAU, says: “The good balance sheet will be clouded this year by the increase in occupational diseases. We are particularly concerned about noise-induced hearing loss, which is back in first place on the list, and the further increase in asbestos-related diseases. That is why we need to focus even more on this in our prevention work in order to prevent future diseases.”
Bernhard Arenz, Head of the Prevention Department of the BG BAU: “During construction site inspections, we see that safety and health awareness is increasing and that occupational safety is taken seriously by companies. This is an important prerequisite for preventing accidents at work and occupational diseases. We support our member companies in the implementation of your occupational safety goals by getting to the bottom of the causes of work accidents and occupational diseases and developing practical solutions to avoid them.”
Climate change and energy transition – a challenge for occupational safety
The construction industry plays a key role in the implementation of the energy transition. This poses major challenges for safety and health in construction because, despite being banned in 1993, asbestos is still found in many buildings.
As long as the substance is installed, there is usually no danger. However, during renovation and maintenance work, asbestos dust can be released from tile adhesives, fillers, plaster or screed and inhaled by employees. With serious consequences: asbestos fibers can cause diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma, which usually end fatally.
Asbestos: Leading cause of death from occupational diseases
The statistics of the BG BAU make the explosiveness clear: Asbestos is the most common cause of death in occupational diseases. In the past ten years, 3,376 people insured by BG BAU have died as a result of an asbestos-related occupational disease, 320 in 2022 alone.
The number of new cases also increased in the past year. A total of 2,414 new suspected cases of asbestos-related occupational diseases were reported to the BG BAU in 2022. With 1,291 suspicious activity reports, more than half related to lung cancer, larynx cancer or ovarian cancer caused by asbestos (2021: 1,290), followed by asbestosis with 716 suspicious activity reports (2021: 670).
Norbert Kluger, Head of the Material Hazards Department of BG BAU: “Asbestos is still a current problem, because we always have to assume that existing buildings may contain asbestos. If work is to be carried out in the existing building, detailed research is required in advance and possibly a material analysis is essential. Appropriate protective measures must then be taken.”
The good news is: effective protection against the deadly fiber is possible and feasible. It is particularly important to work dust-free. Where dust is generated, it must be extracted and filtered. Affected work areas must be sealed off from other areas so that asbestos is not carried over. In the case of hazards, breathing masks and dustproof protective suits are required.
Further information
Digital Press Kit: www.bgbau.de/jpk-2023
Asbestos topic page: www.bgbau.de/asbest
E-learning program “Basic knowledge of asbestos”: www.bgbau.de/grundwissen-asbest
Industry solution for asbestos in existing buildings:
Protection package for building in stock: www.bgbau.de/schutzpaket-bauen-im-fonds
Press contact:
Susanne Diehr, spokeswoman, telephone: 030 85781-690, e-mail:
[email protected], BG BAU – press office, Hildegardstraße 29/30, 10715
Berlin
Original content from: BG BAU trade association for the construction industry, transmitted by news aktuell