New figures have revealed there have been almost four injuries or near misses per week involving workers on the Aberdeen bypass construction project.
In the first 165 weeks of the £745million Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie to Tipperty (AWPR/B-T) project, a total of 125 workers were injured, with an additional 18 suffering from long-term injuries, and 96 near-miss incidents.
And when added to the number of Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) reports made on the site and other reportable accidents, there has been on average 3.7 incidents a week – a total of 603 – since the project started in 2015.
Among those injured during the course of the construction of the new road was a contractor who suffered cracked ribs and a torn liver after he was crushed under a half-tonne section of pipe last March, and a worker who was taken to hospital with head injuries after a falling piece of timber cracked his hard hat.
North-east MSP Peter Chapman said safety should be paramount on the project. He said: “On an infrastructure project as big as the AWPR, we can expect that there will be mishaps during the construction process.
“However, the rate of incidents suggested in these figures is quite astonishing.
“We all want the road to be completed and opened as soon as possible, but that cannot be at the expense of worker’s health and safety.”
While Aberdeenshire East MSP Gillian Martin said: “It’s important companies release data on their accidents and we should never discourage them from doing so.
“When incidents like this happen, what’s crucial is that firms make the work environment safer.”
The number of injuries suffered by workers on the AWPR/BT project is comparably less than on other major Transport Scotland projects.
Over the almost six years it took to build the £1.35billion Queensferry Crossing, there were 503 injuries, and 435 near misses – an average of around three incidents a week.
And during the construction of the £500million M8, M73 and M74 motorway improvement project in the central belt, a total of 118 workers were injured, with 137 involved in near misses.
A spokesman for Transport Scotland said: “Responsibility for the health and safety on the AWPR/B-T site rests with the contractor, Aberdeen Roads Limited.
“Near miss recording is an important tool in eliminating the occurrence of future accidents and incidents.”