Almost 50% of occupational safety violations on construction sites are related to the risk of falling from heights. This is apparent from the most recent labour inspection campaign by the FPS Employment, Labour, and Social Dialogue (WASO) in June 2024. (Dutch or French version)

On the 174 construction sites inspected, 452 violations were found, and orders for cessation of activities were issued for 110 of those. Forty-nine percent of those breaches were related to the risk of falling from a height, which includes things like the lack of scaffolding structures or the lack of collective protection at the edges of open floors, eaves, etc.

Falls from heights are the leading cause of serious occupational accidents with permanent injuries and fatal occupational accidents. It is worrying that this is also where most violations were identified.

A second finding from the labour inspection is that 12% of the violations were related to the processing of building materials with quartz. For example, insufficient consideration was given to water supply or dust extraction on the grinding wheel, saw machine, etc.

Although a fall at height has immediate consequences, exposure to quartz only has an impact later in life but is also very serious and irreversible.