“Control light” in occupational safety and the continued dramatic record of (fatal) accidents at work in construction

dossier

"This year there is again a threat of a dramatic balance of accidents at work in construction: According to statistics from the construction trade association (BG BAU), 69 construction workers nationwide had had fatal accidents on construction sites by September. In the same period last year, there were 74 fatalities. The most common causes were falls from great heights and fatal injuries caused by falling parts. (...) Construction sites are still a problem child when it comes to occupational safety. (...) According to IG BAU, these happen Most accidents in smaller companies are the main causes of a lack of occupational safety on construction sites (…) The expansion of state occupational safety controls in the federal states is just as important...” Report from IG BAU from December 6, 2021 and unfortunately more:

• Fatal work accident of a migrant construction worker in Hamburg covered up: body found in the forest
  “Hamburg: After a construction worker's fatal accident at work in Hamburg, unknown people have his bodyaccording to the NDR report away from the construction site. The body of the deceased was found by two women in a forest near Rissen at the beginning of June.
  According to NDR research, the 27-year-old construction worker was Egyptian. The police initially suspected the injuries were a violent crime. However, she has now announced that the man had an accident on a construction site in Wilhelmsburg. According to the report, the construction trade association responsible for construction sites is said to have had no report of a fatal accident at work on the Wilhelmsburg construction site even weeks later. According to NDR, a subcontractor was said to have been working on the construction site at the time of the fatal accident. Specialists in occupational accidents from the Hamburg State Criminal Police Office are investigating.
  The Action Against Labor Injustice has also already been informed of cases in which serious accidents at work were covered up by subcontractors because they feared losing the contract. In the Hamburg case there could also be undeclared work.” From theUNION BUSTING NEWS #09/26 from August 6, 2026 at the campaign against labor injustice (“Industrial accident in Hamburg: body of a construction worker is found in the forest”), see also:
  • The subcontractor system brings ruin and death: rally after the death of the construction worker Ahmed D. on October 30, 2026 in Hamburg
    “…At the beginning of June 2026, Ahmed D. died during demolition work on a construction site in Wilhelmsburg. He came to Germany from Egypt and worked for a subcontractor. In order to cover up the accidental death, his body was taken to a forest in Rissen. In memory of him, we are holding a rally in front of the construction site on October 30, 2026. As an expression of our disdain for how construction sites and other production sectors are organized, we first gather in Wilhelmsburg and then drive to the Überseequartier subway station. Here, on October 30, 2023, 5 Albanian colleagues died in an accident on the Westfield construction site. The second rally there near the luxury mall will remember her and another Romanian construction worker who died. The subcontracting chains are deadly because the risk is transferred from large general contractors to smaller companies that face much greater competitive pressure. Wages are lower here and working conditions are often catastrophic. Migrant workers in particular pay for this with lower wages, their health or their lives…”Call from FAU Hamburg for 5 p.m. Fährstraße 42-44 Wilhelmsburg, see also:
    • Demo after the death of construction worker Ahmed D.: “People are dying because of the system of subcontractor chains”
      “Precarious working conditions, poor wages and accidents on construction sites: A rally in Hamburg commemorates construction workers who died in accidents…”Interview by Klara Hohnke from October 28th, 2026 in the taz online with Niklas Wulff (36 years old, is a specialist planner for energy infrastructure and works in construction supervision. He is a member of the anarchist union Free Workers' Union Hamburg)
  • Abuses in construction repeatedly lead to fatal accidents at work
    “A construction worker died at the beginning of June 2026 during demolition work on an apartment building on Fährstrasse in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg. Instead of calling the emergency number, unknown people transported the deceased across the city to Hamburg-Rissen and left him there in a forest. When passers-by found the 27-year-old in the forest on June 11th, they initially suspected that he might have died due to external violence, and a homicide squad took over the case. Police identified the dead man as a 27-year-old Egyptian national and released his photo to solicit tips from the public. Then the investigation revealed that the man did not die as a result of a crime, but in an industrial accident. He suffered serious injuries during the demolition work and died…” More extensivePost from July 27, 2026 in the union forum 
• Safety on construction sites: One death every four working days – in 2025 there were 74 people
  • Safety on construction sites: One death every four working days
    “On average, one person dies on German construction sites every fourth working day. Trade unions are therefore calling for more commitment to occupational safety.
    In Germany, on average, a person dies on a construction site or in cleaning every fourth working day. As the construction trade association and the Construction-Agrar-Environment Industrial Union (IG BAU) announced, 74 people died last year due to an accident at work in the construction industry and so-called construction-related services. That was four fewer than a year earlier. According to the Federal Holiday Act, working days include all days that are not Sundays or public holidays. According to the report, 400 people will die in 2025 as a result of occupational diseases, “for example because employees have worked with dust or asbestos in the past“…”dpa report from April 28, 2026 in the taz online 
  • Workers' Memorial Day 2026: Say stop when there is danger
    “Last year, 74 people lost their lives due to an accident at work in the construction industry and construction-related services. This means that almost every fourth working day someone dies while working on a construction site or in cleaning. In addition, there are around 400 deaths every year as a result of occupational diseases, for example because employees have worked with dust or asbestos in the past. Workers' Memorial Day always takes place on April 28th to remember the deceased and their relatives. The construction trade association (BG BAU) is also taking part in the central commemoration event organized by the Construction-Agrar-Environmental Industry Union (IG BAU) in Würzburg.
    The motto this year is: “Say STOP when it’s dangerous”. An appeal to employees not to accept dangerous work situations. In the construction sector, dangerous situations can arise due to the specific conditions such as working at heights or the use of construction machinery - but these can be easily mastered with the appropriate protective measures. This makes it all the more important that occupational safety is practiced by everyone on site.
    "Occupational safety is a matter for the boss, i.e. the responsibility of the employer. But safety only occurs if each individual takes responsibility - for themselves and for their colleagues," says Mathias Neuser, acting chairman of the board of BG BAU. “If you say ‘stop’ at the crucial moment, you can save lives.”…”Press release from IG BAU from April 28, 2026 
• Working conditions in construction – When work kills
  “Falls, falling or tipping loads: Occupational accidents are the result of a system that values ​​profitability over protection
  Anyone who goes to a construction site in the morning knows that their body is not just a tool, but an asset. Hands, back, balance, attention – everything is taken up, everything is used up. Errors do not remain abstract here. One wrong step, one unsecured edge, one loosened load - and there is no turning back. This is not an exception, but routine. This routine hardly appears in public. Terms such as efficiency, competitiveness and flexibility dominate there. On the construction site they mean deadline pressure, understaffing and deadlines. Anyone who delays gets noticed. Anyone who stands out will be replaced. The accident does not begin with the fall. It starts with the way work is organized…” Article appeared in Junge Welt on March 12, 2026 by Tom Biebl on March 17, 2026documented at VKG – networking for militant unions 
• Christmas at the Westfield Center in Hamburg (where ZDF will broadcast its New Year's Eve party show): Where are the dead construction workers?
  “Six workers died during the construction of the luxury mall in Hamburg's Hafencity. The taz is looking for the plaque that commemorates her. (…)
  At least six people died during the construction of this “XXXL shopping center”. Of course, the people who buy Christmas presents here can't help it. Why “at least”? The word appears again and again in articles. Ilja Clemens Melzer from the union explains that the Trade Union for Agricultural and Environmental Construction (IG Bau) assumes that there are unreported cases of serious accidents that have occurred on the large construction site. If they end fatally, they are difficult to cover up. You still don't know for sure. (…) But you can only find the plaque if you stand directly in front of it and know what you are looking for. Two rectangular metal signs are attached to one of several wooden benches next to the cruise ship dock. Demhat, 17, and Aidan, 16, sit in front of it. They come here more often. They hadn't noticed the plaques for the workers in their backs yet. But it would have been better to build a statue or something, something that cannot be overlooked, says Demhat. “Or at least a spot of light.” The signs behind them are in the dark.
  If you lean over the bench or shine your cell phone, you can read: "Place of remembrance and reflection. In memory of the five construction workers who lost their lives in a tragic construction site accident on October 30, 2023. May they never be forgotten and the memories of them remain alive." On the second board the same text is written in English. The worker who died in 2022 is not mentioned.
  TheThe Free Workers’ Union (FAU) Hamburg has been calling for a monument for a long time in the main entrance area, which the relatives help to design. The plaques on the bench were only installed under pressure from the IG Bau youth organization, on the day before the grand opening in April. It was a very small circle. The management did not invite a single relative.
  This year, ZDF is not broadcasting its New Year's Eve party show from Berlin, but from right here, where the bench with the plaques is…”Report by Amira Klute from December 22nd, 2025 in the taz online with some photos (“Christmas at Westfield Center: Where are the dead construction workers?”) – see more about the Westfield Center death trap below
• “Your mall – our grave”: Vigil for at least 6 construction workers who died at the opening of the Westfield shopping center in Hamburg's Hafen-City on April 8th
  • Your mall – our grave. Vigil and rally for the opening of the Westfield Mall
    “In memory of the at least six workers who died during the construction of the Westfield Mall in Überseequartier and in protest against the working conditions during the construction of the luxury center, Junge BAU Hamburg is organizing a vigil and rally in front of the building complex on the opening day. The Westfield shopping center in Hafen-City will celebrate its grand opening on April 8th. While investors and the Senate pat each other on the back that day, an important part of the truth remains unspoken: the construction of this new luxury temple claimed at least six lives.
    Five workers alone died in a devastating accident in October 2023 when they fell into a shaft with their apparently overloaded scaffolding. Colleagues whose families have not yet received any compensation, let alone any explanation as to how it happened regular accidents on the construction site could come. Colleagues who previously followed various reports suffered from poor working conditions and dumping wages.
    In order to draw attention to the grievances in the construction of the Westfield Mall, but also at other construction sites, on the opening day, Junge BAU Hamburg has announced a vigil in front of the building complex for April 8th, which will turn into a rally from 3:30 p.m. IG BAU Am Grasbrookpark can be found from 11 a.m. Any support is welcome!“Report from IG BAU Hamburg from April 1st, 2025 
  • Hafencity: Workers want to demonstrate against Westfield Center
    “Work on the Westfield Center in Hafencity is in full swing. The IG BAU union is announcing construction worker protests for the opening on Tuesday – against the poor working conditions.Once again the motto on Northern Europe's largest construction site is: spit on your hands - everything has to be finished by the opening. There was always time pressure, but the operator Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield had to postpone the opening ceremony three times. Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD) is scheduled to cut the red ribbon on Tuesday afternoon. From 4 p.m., customers can stream into the gigantic shopping and experience center. At the same time, the construction union wants to draw attention to the “underside of the shopping world”. The motto of the demonstration: “Your shopping mall – our grave”.Remembering those who died during construction
    IG BAU Secretary Ilja Clemens Melzer says: “More than 100 construction workers will remember their six colleagues who died during construction.” A year and a half ago in October, scaffolding collapsedfive Albanian workers died . They were employed illegally and had little insurance. In March 2023, a construction worker was hit in the head by a piece of metal. A month later, a worker fell from scaffolding. In June of the same year, a woman suffered a severe electric shock from an uninsulated cable.The union therefore believes: The general progress in occupational safety is in stark contrast to the conditions on the Westfield construction site in Hafencity.”NDR report from April 5th, 2025 – see background information below
• The deadliest workplace in Germany: In no other industry do as many workers have accidents as in construction. Migrant employees are particularly affected. Now some of them are fighting back
  "Franjo Cosic would actually like to enjoy his pension in Croatia right now if it weren't for that day in September last year when he wasn't really paying attention for a moment. Interior work at the police headquarters in Wiesbaden, a routine job: But Cosic had overlooked an open cable duct in the floor. He lost his balance, fell and tore several plasterboard panels with him to the ground. When his colleagues lifted the panels, which were estimated to be more than 30 kilos, from Cosic's leg there is only flesh and bone: a clean break in the lower leg. (…) Franjo Cosic's accident was one of a total of 96,153 registered work accidents on German construction sites in 2023. According to the statutory accident insurance companies, the relative number of accidents in the construction industry is, it must be said, the most dangerous workplace in the world Germany. There are regular deaths here. Last year, 76 workers died. For example, on a large construction site in Hamburg's HafenCity: In the fall, five Albanian workers who had worked with forged documents lost their lives. The case sparked discussions across Germany - in the media, but also among construction workers themselves Abroad. A shockingly high number, because overall only around a quarter of construction workers do not have a German passport.Franjo Cosic also reports that many of his colleagues work for small subcontractors, work unpaid overtime and often do not receive sufficient protective equipment. “Small companies want to save money at every turn,” he says. But foreign workers often have no choice: “If you want a job, you have to submit.” (…) The crane operators Marian Marcu and Sorin Codru see it differently. Seven years ago you founded the Facebook group “Seven Star Crane Operators” to defend yourself against poor working conditions. The group now has more than 1,500 crane operators from all over Eastern Europe. Marcu talks about loads that workers attach incorrectly to the crane hook because they are not trained to do so. About a dead crane operator who the rescue workers reached too late in his cockpit high up. About disconnected alarm sirens that are actually supposed to warn crane drivers of strong gusts. Where companies can save money, they do so, says Marcu. Also when it comes to security. “The only motive on the construction sites is money.” And the members of the crane operator group also believe that stricter rules will make everyday work easier. Marcu and Codru are currently working on a construction site in Hesse for a British building contractor. “Usually there’s always rush, speed, stress and steam,” says Codru. “But it feels like heaven here right now.” The construction site is much better organized, there are daily occupational safety instructions and it is also cleaned up every day. Apparently the company adopts standards from Great Britain.Since then, Codru and Marcu have been asking themselves: Why isn't this also possible in Germany? They demand better training for construction workers, regular courses and more government controls. The safety of workers must take precedence over deadline and cost pressure. “We are human beings,” says Marcu. “We are helping to build a small part of this country.” Article by Jonas Seufert and Marcel Siepmann from November 29, 2024 in Zeit online 
• Shortly before the five-fold fatal accident, deficiencies were discovered on the Hafencity construction site, apparently without consequences - vigil on Thursday, November 16th. 
  • Migrant Workers Lives matter: Photo report from the vigil for the five dead Albanian colleagues on November 16th. at the HafenCity construction site
    “chefduzen offline! A small group of active Chefduzers set up in front of the HafenCity construction site at 15°° ago.The banners with a picture of a candle were hanging here. Flowers were placed underneath. That's all gone. It's business as usual again (…) After the panorama report and our properly announced vigil, people seemed to be a little nervous and there was more security than usual at the main entrance. (…)The leaflets were well received. Sometimes small groups stopped by the distribution board to chat. It was said that the investigation didn't take long after the accident; the construction site was quickly reopened, even the direct site of the accident. People were well disposed towards us. The only negative reactions came from Germans. A German couple in fine clothing took a leaflet and said they would also mourn those who died in the accident, but they didn't understand why we were handing out leaflets about it. When I said that there was no change in the grueling working conditions, we wanted to spark a discussion among workers in the hope that they would collectively push for greater safety. The well-secured walkers had no understanding and returned the leaflet with a disgusted expression on their faces. Then there was a German construction worker who was of the opinion that we were just “unnecessarily exaggerating” the story. (…) We got our 500 leaflets completely distributed. The accident at HafenCity must not be swept under the carpet!“Report with photos by Kuddel on November 17th, 2023 in chefduzen.de 
  • Before fatal accident: Defects discovered at Hafencity construction site
    “…Now it turns out: The authorities had only examined the construction site a few days earlier - and found deficiencies. In some areas of the large construction site in Überseequartier, fall protection was missing. The personal protective equipment of some workers there had not been tested. And: Not everywhere the construction site was secured in such a way that no one would be harmed if objects fell down. These are just some of the defects that the Office for Building Regulations and Building Construction discovered at the accident site in Überseequartier. Exactly ten days before a huge scaffolding collapsed in an elevator shaft. This emerges from the Senate's response to a small question from CDU parliamentary group leader Dennis Thering…”Report from November 14th, 2023 on NDR 
  • And we share the criticismby ChefDuzen on 11/13/23 on Twitter : “HafenCity is the largest urban development project in Europe. A speculators' project with buildings for bigwigs. Migrant workers pay with their lives. Politicians condole via Twitter. The IG Bau can't think of anything more than a fundraiser. Vigil on November 16thand the call:
  • “Blood. Sweat & Tears. Bigwig project HafenCity Hamburg costs the health and lives of migrant workers. Don't move on to the agenda! We call for oneVigil on Thursday, November 16th From 15°° Hübnerstraße left open space next to U4 Überseequartier.”Tweet from ChefDuzen from 11/14/23 with photo
• There are now 5 fatalities on the large construction site in Hamburg's Hafencity - the construction industry is playing with the lives of its (migrant) workers
  • Accident at a construction site in Hafencity: fifth construction worker died
    “Another construction worker has died after a serious accident on a large construction site in Hamburg's Hafencity. This brought the death toll to five. Initially, four dead people were recovered from the construction site and one seriously injured person was taken to hospital. There he succumbed to his injuries. The Honorary Consul of the Republic of Albania in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, Kole Gjoka, confirmed this to the NDR magazine Panorama 3 on Thursday. The deceased is to be transferred to Albania to his family on Friday. The other fatalities had already been returned to their homeland…”Report from November 9th, 2023 in NDR , see a good summary of the situation:
  • The construction industry plays with the lives of its workers
    “Accidents happen again and again on German construction sites - sometimes fatal ones, as was the case most recently in Hamburg's Hafencity. Behind this fate, which particularly often befalls workers from Eastern Europe, is a system of subcontractors and political disinterest.
    It was like playing “Giant Mikado,” the emergency services report after 35 hours on Hamburg’s major Hafencity construction site. Scaffolding poles lie criss-cross one on top of the other, piling up to the third floor. After the scaffolding collapsed on October 31st, it took two days until four bodies and one seriously injured person were finally recovered using precision work. The four dead have now been identified: They are workers from Albania who escaped poverty and built luxury apartments in Germany for major investors.
    The accident in Hafencity, although dramatic in scope, is not an isolated case. Last year, a construction worker died in Hamburg while building a new subway station, and five construction workers died in an accident in Berlin. The nationwide number was 74 deaths in 2022. Accidents and injuries are almost a daily occurrence on German construction sites and it is reasonable to assume that Eastern European “assigned workers” or migrant workers are disproportionately affected. The physical wear and tear on them is enormous, and hardly anyone suffers from long-term consequences.
    Even beyond accidents, the conditions are tough, and that is systematic. Migrant workers on construction sites, especially from Eastern Europe, are poorly paid and treated even worse; they enjoy little protection, both health-wise and legally. They are usually brought to Germany via subcontractor chains for the construction of (partly public) infrastructure and prestige projects. The private German real estate industry in particular is built on a foundation of exploitation of these workers. (…)But it's not just a lack of occupational health and safety controls that is a problem. The widespread problem of undeclared work in the construction industry means that many employees do not have sufficient social insurance. “We are confronted with cases in which, after a serious accident, employees are packed into the trunk and driven across the border in order to cover up the incident,” reports Ben Luig from the consulting organizations European Association of Migrant Workers (EVW) and Faire Mobility. There are also a number of cases in which employers deregister employees from their health insurance prematurely. In addition, wages and sometimes even vacation pay are withheld. (…) Confronted with reports of unpaid wages, work accidents and undeclared work that keep cropping up in connection with such subcontractors, general contractors often shirk responsibility and claim to have been unaware of problems on their own construction sites. Local and state politicians also often look the other way, because in many cases they themselves are the ones who commission the projects. The conditions in the subway station and Hafencity are an expression of this mutual disinterest. Even though these problems have been known to the trade unions and various advisory services and organizations for a long time, a turnaround is currently not expected. General contractors are still economically required to make offers that are as low as possible…”Article by Niklas Kullick from November 9, 2023 in Jacobin.de 
• Four dead construction workers on the construction site in the Hafencity in Hamburg - in what is not the first work accident there
  
  • Four dead construction workers from Albania (not Bulgarian!) in the accident in Hamburg: IG BAU is setting up a donation account for the survivors 
    “…Hamburg construction worker accident - support for the bereaved and injured: IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt (IG BAU) has set up a donation account for the tragic construction site accident in Hamburg's Hafencity. "Four people lost their lives in the accident in Überseequartier on Monday. They were construction workers who came to us from Albania to work here to earn money for their families. Now we want to help the relatives. We are sending a signal of compassion and support. That's why we as IG BAU Nord have set up a donation account. We will pass on every cent that goes into the donation account one-to-one to the surviving dependents for support. Every donation, no matter how small, counts," says the head of the IG BAU Nord, André Grundmann…” Update from November 2nd, 2023Report from IG BAU from October 30, 2023 (originally there was talk of construction workers from Bulgaria, I removed this from the headline (MW)), see:
    • The donation account:Donation keyword “Hamburg Hafencity construction accident”
      GFW of IG BAU
      IBAN: DE49 5005 0000 0000 6719 09
      BIC: HELADEFFXXX
      HELABA, Frankfurt
    • Accident at Hafencity construction site: Donations are intended to help relatives
      “Four men from Albania died in a serious accident on a large construction site in Hamburg's Hafencity on Monday. Now the relatives of the workers should be helped…”NDR report from November 2nd, 2023 
  • Hafencity: Number of deaths after accident on Hamburg construction site rises to four
    “In the Hafencity in Hamburg, scaffolding fell from the eighth floor on a large construction site. Four Bulgarian construction workers died. (…) Nobody is missing anymore. The fire department initially spoke of three deaths. However, another dead person was discovered in the afternoon while the scaffolding poles were being removed, a spokesman said. Another person was critically injured. According to the urban development authority, all victims came from Bulgaria. According to previous findings, the scaffolding erected in an elevator shaft fell from the eighth floor in the morning for reasons that are still unclear. The rubble then piled up from the basement to the second floor of the building…”Agency report from October 30, 2023 in Zeit online 
  • Savings on occupational safety. Hamburg: Four workers in the “Überseequartier” had a fatal accident
    “…It is to be the “largest adventure and shopping center in Northern Europe”: with 20 restaurants, three hotels, a cruise terminal and the largest cinema in the city, as well as apartments and offices. The “Überseequartier” is currently being built in Hamburg’s “Hafencity” and the topping-out ceremony took place at the end of August. According to NDR, the real estate company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is said to have invested more than one billion euros in the project. On Monday morning there was a serious industrial accident at the city's largest construction site. A scaffolding erected in an elevator shaft collapsed on the eighth floor for an unknown reason, fell into the shaft and dragged five workers into the depths (...) As recently as September 2nd, four workers were injured, some of them life-threatening, in a similar accident at a construction site on Hamburg's Elbe Bridges - not far from the "Hafencity". Scaffolding had collapsed and dragged the workers down about five meters. On June 9th, several gas bottles exploded in a fire at another construction site in the “Überseequartier”. A crane operator was slightly injured while trying to put out the fire. Back in April, the federal chairman of the Construction, Agriculture, Environment (IG BAU) union, Robert Feiger, described the accidents on Germany's construction sites as "alarming." Statistically speaking, a construction worker died on the job every three and a half working days nationwide in 2022. Jörg Harder, branch secretary at IG BAU Hamburg, explained to Junge Welt on Monday that, in addition to deadline pressure, cost pressure is also to blame for the fact that occupational safety is being cut back on construction sites. The building contractors sought out subcontractors who would work for the lowest possible fixed price.“In the end, of course, this can also have an impact on the quality of occupational safety,” says Harder. He is deeply upset about the accident at work in the “Überseequartier” and hopes that the relatives will receive help quickly.”Article by Kristian Stemmler in the Junge Welt from October 31, 2023 
  • Our condolences for the construction workers who died in an accident in Hamburg
    “IG BAU deeply mourns the construction workers who died on a large construction site in Hamburg. Our thoughts are with their relatives, work colleagues and friends. We also wish those injured to recover quickly and completely. And we hope that the still missing employees will be rescued soon.Background: Scaffolding collapsed in an elevator shaft in Hamburg's Hafencity on Monday morning. Nothing can be said at the moment about the causes. Construction operations have been stopped for the time being.”Report from IG BAU from October 30, 2023 
• If you save, you also save on security. The Berlin Senate does not know which construction companies have a higher number of accidents at work 
  “…According to the trade association for the construction industry (BG BAU), around 2,500 work-related accidents occurred on Berlin construction sites last year. Five construction workers died in an accident. (…) The construction sites in Berlin are also not sufficiently monitored with regard to occupational safety. The responsible state office for occupational safety only has six workers available in this area; five years ago there were twice as many, according to a press release from the Left Party on the occasion of the Senate's response to the request. (…) The Construction-Agrar-Environment Industrial Union (IG BAU) is also calling for more controls and personnel. “When colleagues walk around the construction sites, they notice, for example, that appropriate work protective clothing is often missing,” says Thomas Hentschel, chairman of the Berlin district association of IG BAU, to “nd”. In Berlin, 65 supervisory officers are deployed with occupational safety tasks for all Berlin companies. According to Berlin's IG BAU, this means there is one inspector for every 33,237 employees. Because these supervisory officers are responsible for many other tasks, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Office, only six people are left to check occupational safety in the company. In addition to accidents, what is particularly important to the construction union in terms of occupational safety on construction sites are the long-term consequences of the physically demanding work. (…) Alexandru Firus from the trade union-affiliated Peco Institute, which works with IG BAU, has been doing outreach research and consulting work in construction workers' accommodation for three years, with a focus on Eastern European workers.Although the focus of his work is in the Rhine-Main area and Franconia, the structures in the construction sector, which all too often lead to a neglect of occupational safety measures, also apply to Berlin, he tells “nd”. These are primarily informal employment relationships and the goal of construction companies to build as cheaply as possible. “In such an environment, there are of course savings in occupational safety,” says Firus.
  Because many construction workers only receive part of their wages legally, including all social security contributions, and the rest informally, many legal requirements would be circumvented. The continued payment of wages in the event of illness is only calculated from a portion of the salary or the maximum working hours are regularly exceeded. »Many people work an inhumane amount of time. Overwork, herniated discs, minor injuries are the norm,” says Firus.
  Thomas Herrschelmann, spokesman for the Fachgemeinschaft Bau (FG Bau), the construction employers' and construction industry association with the largest membership in Berlin and Brandenburg, also sees a connection between occupational safety efforts and companies' savings efforts. »Construction companies that save money also save on safety.«..”Article by Lola Zeller from August 2nd, 2023 in ND online 
• BG BAU figures for 2022: Decrease in occupational accidents, occupational diseases caused by asbestos are increasing - but 22 deaths are 22 too many, more occupational safety controls!
  • BG BAU presents figures for 2022: Decline in work accidents, occupational diseases caused by asbestos are increasing
    “As the trade association for the construction industry (BG BAU) announced today in Berlin, work and commuting accidents in the construction industry decreased 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, non-melanoma skin cancer caused by natural ultraviolet radiation and lung cancer caused by asbestos. (…)The number of reportable work accidents 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 8,808 in 2021, 8,298 commuting accidents were reported to BG BAU last year. That's around six percent less. The so-called thousand-person quota, which reflects the relative frequency of accidents per 1,000 full-time employees, has also declined. In 2022 it is 45.51 (2021: 49.84). 74 employees died as a result of an industrial accident in 2022. That was eleven fewer than the previous year. In contrast, the number of fatal commuting accidents has increased 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…”Press release from the construction trade association from June 20, 2023 
  • No “control light” when it comes to occupational safety
    "Regarding the statistics of work-related accidents and occupational illnesses in the construction and cleaning industries for the past year presented this morning by the Construction Trade Association (BG BAU), the Federal Chairman of the Construction-Agriculture-Environment Industrial Union, IG BAU boss Robert Feiger, explains: Every accident is one too many. The number of accidents in construction is still high. The BG BAU statistics make this clear. In addition, the number of unreported construction accidents is likely to be significantly higher. On the one hand, many accidents - especially smaller ones - are not reported at all. On the other hand, where foreign employees work on construction sites, accidents are often trivialized or covered up.Construction sites are a problem child when it comes to occupational safety. The accident numbers are a big warning that occupational health and safety should be taken even more seriously. The aim must be to minimize work hazards as much as possible. Smaller companies in particular are faced with even greater demands. Safety on construction sites must be the top priority. High cost and time pressure must not lead to occupational safety being neglected. (…) In addition to prevention, what is at least as important is an expansion of state occupational safety controls in the federal states. There is a clear monitoring deficit here. We need greater control pressure on companies that don't really take safety seriously or carefully. It would be fatal to rely solely on the companies' own responsibility when it comes to occupational health and safety. The responsible authorities in the federal states therefore need more staff in order to be able to more effectively monitor whether safety regulations are actually being adhered to in companies…”Press release from IG BAU from June 20, 2023 
• A construction worker dies on the job every three and a half working days - IG BAU warns against neglecting occupational safety due to cost and time pressure 
  “The federal chairman of the Construction-Agrar-Environmental Union (IG BAU), Robert Feiger, described the accidents on Germany's construction sites as “alarming”. Statistically speaking, last year a construction worker died on the job every three and a half working days nationwide. “74 fatally injured construction workers and 99,380 reported construction accidents in total – these are frightening numbers,” said Feiger, referring to the preliminary annual balance sheet for 2022 of the trade association for the construction industry (BG BAU). For comparison: In the previous year there were 85 fatal accidents and 103,518 reported construction accidents in total. "Even though the numbers have decreased compared to the previous year, the number of accidents in construction is high. Construction sites are still a problem child when it comes to occupational safety," says Feiger. According to the IG BAU federal chairman, the number of unreported construction accidents is significantly higher than the figures in the statistics of the construction trade association: "On the one hand, many accidents - especially smaller ones - are not reported at all. On the other hand, where foreign employees work on construction sites, accidents are often trivialized or covered up," says Robert Feiger. According to the preliminary report by BG BAU, the main cause of fatal accidents last year was falls from roofs and scaffolding. In second and third place as the causes of accidents: fatal injuries caused by construction machinery and falling components. For the IG BAU federal chairman, the construction trade association's latest accident record is a big exclamation mark to take safety and health protection for employees even more seriously and to minimize work risks as much as possible. “Safety on construction sites must be the top priority,” says Feiger.High cost and time pressure should not lead to occupational safety being neglected. “Working in construction must not become a high-risk job for employees because the boss saves on occupational safety or the work pressure keeps increasing,” says Feiger…”Press release from IG BAU from April 8, 2023 
• As of August 2022, 56 construction workers have had fatal accidents 
  “The Construction-Agrar-Environment Industrial Union (IG BAU) fears a dramatic balance of work-related accidents in construction this year too: The union refers to preliminary figures from the trade association (BG BAU), according to which 56 construction workers had already had fatal accidents nationwide by August alone. The most common causes were falls from great heights and fatal injuries from falling parts.
  Carsten Burckhardt, member of the IG BAU federal board and responsible for construction and occupational safety: "The situation on construction sites in terms of safety and health is alarming. Statistically speaking, a construction worker died every four days until August. And the fact that the accident record already reports such a high number of fatally injured construction workers in the first eight months does not bode well. It is to be feared that the sad level of the previous year will be reached: In 2021, a total of 85 construction workers died while working on construction sites, and by August there were 60.”According to Carsten Burckhardt, the total number of 65,701 reportable work accidents from January to August is also worrying. The number of accidents in construction has been at a shockingly high level for years.
  In view of this development, Burckhardt is calling on the federal states to quickly expand state occupational safety controls. There is a glaring monitoring deficit here and an enormous need to catch up on personnel…”Press release from December 6th, 2022 from IG BAU 
• A construction worker dies every four days in Germany 
  “The German construction industry is booming, but employees are not benefiting from this upswing - on the contrary. Fatal workplace accidents and wage theft are on the rise. Now it's up to the construction union. (…)
  However, since the Corona pandemic at the latest, the dark side of the German construction miracle has become apparent: more accidents at work, wage theft and an increase in illegalized forms of wage work. In Germany, on average, a construction worker dies at work every fourth day. The most common cause of death is falls from great heights or injuries from falling components. Only very rarely can these accidents be attributed to the failure of individual people; the accumulation of deaths is rather a result of the uncontrolled construction boom. According to the Bauen Agrar Umwelt industrial union (IG BAU), which organizes construction workers nationwide, in addition to these fatal accidents, there are a total of 77,115 reported work accidents - however, the number of unreported cases is probably much higher, because according to the construction trade association, the majority of accidents involving illegalized employees are rarely or not at all documented….”Article by Jakob Schloer from February 2nd, 2022 at Jacobin.de also on collective bargaining policy aspects

See across industries:The number of fatal work accidents in Germany is high: 585 people died in 2021

The post“Control light” in occupational safety and the continued dramatic record of (fatal) accidents at work in constructionappeared firstLabourNet Germany.