Security Is A Priority

The commercial trade association has drawn a terrifying record of accidents at work in recent years. With a prevention program, BG BAU now wants to draw more attention to the individual safety of employees.

The trade associations registered over 3,000 deaths due to accidents at work, commuting and occupational diseases in 2016. In the same year, 73 workers were killed in the construction industry by accidents alone. As a preliminary analysis shows, this number rose to 88 in 2017. "These numbers are bad and make the great need for action clear." That said Klaus-Richard Bergmann, chief executive of the professional association of the construction industry (BG BAU). The number of new accident pensions has also increased. According to initial evaluations, BG BAU registered almost 2,600 such accidents in 2017. “Every single accident is one too many and is associated with great human suffering for those affected. We therefore have to further intensify our occupational safety activities."

Success stagnates

In the long term, the measures taken by technical and organizational occupational health and safety have led to a decline in the number of accidents. For example, BG BAU registered a decrease in the number of reportable work accidents per 1,000 people from 101.10 twenty years ago to 55.29 cases in 2016.

However, the longstanding trend of a significant decrease in accidents at work has slowed down steadily in recent years and is now stagnating. Bergmann: “Successful prevention cannot be limited to improved work equipment and compliance with regulations. We all have to take a closer look at our behavior in matters of occupational safety and health."

Preventive measures

With the prevention program “Building on safety. Build on yourself.”BG BAU is therefore increasingly working to ensure that the individual behavior of employees changes positively. Nobody is allowed to risk life and health of themselves or others through risky behavior. In the event of serious safety deficiencies, you have to be able to say STOP and only continue working when these have been remedied. "That is why BG BAU is promoting" company declarations "in which employees and company management commit themselves to working for safe working conditions in their company," emphasized Bergmann.

Further information:

www.bau-auf-sicherheit.de

Klaus-Richard Bergmann

Every work accident is one too many