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Fall protection deficiencies persist despite 25 deaths

6/10/2025, 14:12

A sweeping regulatory review of fall protection practices has revealed that construction employers lack a clear understanding of how to properly select safety systems, routinely opting for personal fall arrest equipment when collective protection measures would provide superior worker safety.

Falls from height are among the most common causes of death or serious injury to workers in the construction industry. Of 98 fatal accidents over the past ten years, 25 were caused by falls from height.

Between 400 and 500 workplace accidents resulting in sick leave are also reported annually in the construction industry after workers have fallen from height. These account for 12 to 13 percent of the total 3,500 to 4,000 workplace accidents with reported sick leave each year in the industry.

“The injuries can result in lifelong disabilities, and workers sometimes die. Fall risks from height must therefore always be prevented. No one should become ill, injured, or die from their job,” says workplace environment inspector Denisa Samuelsson, a member of the project team.

Despite this, deficiencies in the use of fall protection equipment still occur. This is shown by an inspection carried out by the Swedish Work Environment Authority between March 2022 and February 2025.

Of the approximately 2,700 inspections at 2,500 workplaces, a full 62 percent resulted in employers being required to implement workplace environment measures.

Employers select wrong equipment

Above all, the issue has been that employers should prioritize collective protective measures over personal ones—for example, collective guard rails or safety nets. Personal fall protection should only be used when the risk of falling cannot be prevented by other means.

“Employers need to gain a clear understanding of the work task and conditions at the workplace before choosing what type of fall protection to use. Our inspectors’ overall assessment is that employers have often chosen personal fall protection equipment, despite fixed fall protection devices being a possible and safer choice,” says Denisa Samuelsson.