A new study by Markel Direct, the specialist insurer of tradespeople, has highlighted the loss of earnings construction workers experience due to injuries sustained whilst at work.

The survey, which asked over 300 tradespeople, who had experienced workplace injury, about the impact of workplace injuries and illness revealed that half of respondents had lost income or a contract as a result of their injury.

Of those asked, 35% miss 1-2 weeks of work a year due to work-related sickness or accidents. Based on the average day rate of £238, those that have had to take up to two weeks off work would be losing over £2380 annually.

The study also explored the maximum amount of time tradespeople have had to take off due to an injury or illness, with the most common answer (23%) being four months. Based on the same day rate, those that had to take 4 months off for an injury could have lost up to £20,508 of income in that year.

Despite the risk of injury - and accompanying income loss - in the construction industry, more than 4 in 10 tradespeople reported not having insurance to protect them against accidents on site, putting their finances and livelihood at risk.

Rob Rees, Divisional Director at Markel Direct, commented: “Taking adequate health and safety precautions is key to staying safe, but it’s important to have a safety net in the event something happens."

"Arranging insurance cover – such as occupational personal accident insurance – can help support you financially if you can’t work because of an injury on the job, minimising the impact of lost days on your income.”

As well as personal cost, the economic cost of workplace injury and ill health in the construction sector was estimated at £1.3 billion for the year 2021/22, according to Health and Safety England (HSE) data.

Faulty equipment, lack of PPE and poor site safety regulations are to blame for most injuries

The survey also explored the most common causes of workplace injuries for tradespeople, with 44% of tradespeople reporting that “faulty equipment or tools” was the reason for their injuries in the workplace, whilst other reasons given were “Lack of PPE” (38%) and “Poor safety regulations on site” (36%).

The most common causes of workplace injuries to tradespeople are:

Rank	Injury	% Tradespeople
1	Faulty equipment or tools	44%
2	Lack of PPE	38%
3	Poor safety regulations on site	36%
4	Personal mistake	29%
5	Mistake or fault of others	16%
6	Injured while handling, lifting or carrying	13%
7	Not adhering to health and safety regulations	12%
8	Weather conditions	11%
9	Slips, trips or falls on same level	10%
10	Falls from a height	6%

Source: Markel UK: Cost of Injuries in Trades

41% of respondents who had experienced an injury reported that it was as a result of a third party (such as a co-worker), whilst a fifth of respondents reported not always taking the necessary health and safety measures at work, potentially putting themselves at risk of harm.

You can find the full study on the Markel Direct website here