Health In Construction: Learn the Shocking Truths
06 April 2019
According to World Health Organisation (WHO) figures, an estimated 100 million people are forced into extreme poverty each year due to health-related expenditure. This year’s World Health Day is focused on raising awareness of the shortage of medical services faced by millions of people across the globe.
The Current State
It’s the view of the WHO that access to services designed to improve physical and mental wellbeing should be a human right. And whilst this might sound like a utopian ideal, it seems inconceivable that a person’s life expectancy should so much depend on their prosperity or geography.
With World Health Day, which has been held on April 7th each year since 1950, the WHO has created the forthcoming campaign to give people more of a steer on what universal health coverage means. It includes highlighting the range of services and support that should be available and where. The campaign is also an opportunity for health ministers and influential government personnel to pledge a course of action in order to address gaps in universal health coverage in their countries, as well as highlight progress already made. To contextualise the scope of worldwide medical care deficiency, WHO will also be releasing its annual publication of health data, the World Health Statistics Report.
How ill-health affects our industry
The World Health Day initiative is crucial in throwing light onto an often-overlooked global matter. But even in wealthy, well developed countries, health issues still play a major part in industries such as construction.
A recent study suggested that male site workers in the UK are 3 times more likely to take their own lives than the average UK male. And figures released by the Health and Safety Executive show the construction industry alone accounts for around 8% of all employees in the UK, but in 2018 it was responsible for 26% of all reported fatal injuries in the workplace.
As a leading supplier to the UK’s construction and civil engineering industries, VJ Technology believes initiatives like World Health Day are a crucial part of helping to rebuild for a safer future.
