Shocking statistics in one of New Zealand’s biggest industries have been revealed.
At least two workers have died in construction every month for the past 18 months and just over one worker per day has been seriously injured.
It's prompting calls for urgent action with WorkSafe saying the industry needs to lift its game.
WorkSafe NZ’s Phil Parkes says he’s frustrated with the lack of change in the industry.
“Construction has been killing and injuring people for far too long. Whatever we've tried has not worked. We've seen two really serious incidents this week, one fatality and a lot of people injured.”
WorkSafe says it's prosecuted 113 people in the construction industry in the last few years.
But Construction Health and Safety’s Jon Harper-Slade says the fundamental causes that make work difficult for people need to be thought about more.
“We really need to change our focus in terms of what we are paying attention to and what mechanisms we use to improve safety and fixing things before they happen.”
READ MORE: WorkSafe reopening investigation after injured worker pressured to lie
“We need to focus on, number one, making sure we treat our people better, safety is an ethical responsibility,” he said.
Builder Luke Waghorn says it's also making sure people understand their responsibility on a building site.
“Touch wood we've been really lucky with accidents, we're only as good as the people we surround ourselves with.”
The sector has also grown by 14.3% in the past year which means the workforce is expanding.
It's the second fastest growing industry with 10% of the workforce employed in construction.
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