NEW data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) has shown that the construction industry in England and Wales is amongst the heaviest hit in terms of male coronavirus deaths.
The data on men of working age only (20-64 years old), shows that among ‘low-skilled’ construction workers, the coronavirus death rate is at 25.9 per 100,000 workers. This puts it above sales and retail assistants at 19.8 per 100,000, customer service occupants at 13.9 per 100,000, and healthcare workers at 10.2 per 100,000. Process, plant and machine operative occupations stand at 15.5 per 100,000.
The figures put male construction death rates below only security guards (45.7), taxi drivers (36.4) chefs (35.9), and care home workers (32.0).
ONS said, “Recent analysis on the occupations with the highest potential exposure to the coronavirus shows the jobs that are most likely to be exposed are those involving close proximity with others and those where there is regular exposure to disease.”
