THE construction industry has been challenged to improve its record on health and safety after it was revealed that 85 people had died on building sites in the past year.

The Health and Safety Commission says construction workers were six times more likely to have an accident at work that the average British employee.

HSC chairman Bill Callaghan said that in addition to the 85 fatalities, over 5,000 had suffered major injuries and a further 10,000 had been forced to take at least three days off work following an accident.

" I want to see an end to the blame culture of passing on the health and safety buck," he said. " I want to see a proper partnership in which clients, designers, contractors, sub-contractors, workers and safety representatives work together to champion health and safety as their number one priority. "