WORKERS on construction sites in Suffolk are being urged to make sure they always wear the protective gear which could save their lives.Gary Amer, southern regional director of the National Federation of Builders, warned against slipshod safety – and revealed that numbers of fatal accidents in the construction industry had soared by more than 30 per cent.

WORKERS on construction sites in Suffolk are being urged to make sure they always wear the protective gear which could save their lives.

Gary Amer, southern regional director of the National Federation of Builders, warned against slipshod safety – and revealed that numbers of fatal accidents in the construction industry had soared by more than 30 per cent.

According to new figures released by the Health and Safety Executive, self-employed construction workers are amongst the worst hit, with fatal accidents now at their highest rate for ten years.

"The construction industry has one of the worst rates of fatal and major injury in the UK," said Mr Amer.

"The dangers faced by construction workers are immense. Over the past ten years there have been over 900 fatal accidents and a further 150,000 serious injuries on construction sites.

"Health and safety remains a primary concern, and failure by construction workers to observe the basic health and safety requirements, such as wearing protective head and foot gear, is absolute folly."

Mr Amer said the number of fatal accidents on building sites had dropped during the 1990s, but was now on the rise again.

He urged contractors to go back to basics, and ensure that employees always had the necessary safety gear for the job in hand.