43 employees were killed in work accidentsin the first 6 months: 30% increase

43 employees were killed in work accidents in the first half of 2019 - an increase of 30% over the same period last year, and the highest figure for this period in the last five years. Kav La'Oved, a report published by the Kav LaOved organization, is working to eradicate the scourge of work accidents in general and in the construction industry in particular.
The main cause of fatal work accidents is falls from heights - with about 40% of these accidents. The second factor is the fall of heavy objects - with 26% of the fatal accidents, and the third of the injuries to vehicles (18%) most often the running of a truck or forklift in the workplace. Of those killed, 32 were Jewish citizens (32%), 10 Arab citizens (32%), 8 Palestinians (19%), 8 foreigners (19%) and 3 employees whose identities were not publicized.
A total of 195 serious and fatal work accidents occurred in the period reviewed, of which 60% were in the construction industry, despite the fact that only 8% of all workers in the economy are employed there. The number of fatalities in this industry was 24, which is more than half of the total number of fatalities in work accidents and 26% higher than the number of fatalities in the industry in the first half of 2018.
The report notes that this is the second year in which there has been an upward trend in the number of fatalities in work accidents in the economy, so that in 2018, 67 accident workers and three passers-by were killed, compared with 59 who were killed in the previous year. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs is responsible for enforcing workplace safety in the 2019 plan to reduce the number of persons killed in work accidents in general by 10%, and a similar rate in the construction industry in particular.
"The grave situation in the area of ​​safety of workers in Israel is a result of the failure of the state authorities, especially the Ministry of Labor. The failure to implement the decisions that were made and the failure to advance the solutions and recommendations of the professional committees that dealt with this subject from years ago is a central component of the sad situation before us. "
The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs said in response: "The ministry has received the neglected safety field for years, only two years ago, and has promoted legislation, reform and activities in a variety of safety fields,
A strict standard for scaffolding, the obligation to appoint safety assistants on sites, the prohibition of youth work on construction sites, the prevention of forgery of crane licenses by charging rigid licenses, and more.
"The Ministry is working to increase enforcement in the field by closing hundreds of dangerous construction sites until the repair of the liqueurs, and has initiated cooperation with the Registrar of Contractors to revoke licenses for breaching contractors and Lahav 433 unit in the Israel Police.
"We reiterate that dozens of supervisors will continue to do everything to increase safety, but they can not be found in more than 12,500 construction sites and tens of thousands of industrial and commercial sites." The contractors, entrepreneurs and employers are responsible for the safety and security of the workers. In order to preserve human life. "