An investigation by construction union UCATT has revealed that the number of construction deaths in Yorkshire doubled in 2012/13.

There were a total of six construction deaths in Yorkshire in 2012/13 compared to just three in 2011/12.

The rise in construction deaths in Yorkshire came at a time when fatalities in the whole of the UK fell last year. There were a total of 39 construction fatalities in 2012/13 compared to 49 in 2011/12.

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Rob Morris, Regional Secretary for UCATT's Yorkshire Region, said: "The sharp rise in construction deaths in Yorkshire is very disturbing each and every one of these death is an individual tragedy, where someone's loved one did not come home one night. The vast majority of construction deaths are entirely preventable and everyone involved in the industry should be working together to reduce fatalities."

In 2012/13 in the UK, the most common type of fatal construction accident was falls from heights which led to 23 deaths, 60% of all deaths recorded.

(CD/JP)