The number of deaths caused by falls from height in construction has dropped by a third in the last year, according to figures released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Between April 2025 and March 2026, 12 construction workers died from this type of accident, down from 19 for the previous year and significantly below the 31 fatalities recorded in 2023/2024.
Falls from height remain the most common cause of death both in construction and wider industries – with 31 deaths overall in the period, representing around a quarter of worker deaths in 2025/26. Other main causes of fatalities were being struck by a moving vehicle or hit by moving objects.
A total of 25 construction workers died in incidents in the period, down from 35 last year and 51 in 2023/2024. Construction continues to account for the largest proportion of fatal injuries (20%) compared to other industries.
In its report, the HSE said that, barring the covid pandemic period, overall worker deaths for the past year were the lowest recorded in a single year at 126. There were 217 fatalities 20 years ago (2005/06) and 495 in 1981.
Fines for falls from heights
This year highlighted two fatal incidents that involved construction machinery in recent years.
Two companies – Willand O&M and New Wave Marine – were fined in March after an employee was killed and a colleague left with life-altering injuries when a cherrypicker collided with an overhead powerline in 2020.
And this month, Hamilton-based company Food Process Engineering was also fined after a worker died when a series of wall panels collapsed and ejected him from a scissor lift.
UK’s safety record vs Europe
The HSE also released a report comparing the UK’s safety record internationally, comparing the ratio of work-related fatal injuries with more than 30 countries, largely from Europe. It found that the UK ratio was only bettered by the Netherlands.
The rate of workplace deaths was on a similar level to Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland. The report found that overall trends for fatalities were decreasing in the countries assessed.
