Another black week for the industry as officials meet to improve safety practices

Two workers have been killed and one seriously injured in a series of accidents in the week the industry met to address its safety record.

The accidents, two of which occurred in the housebuilding sector, illustrate the urgency of the task facing the industry. Several major firms, including Kier, Mace and Land Securities, were involved in the sites where the incidents occurred.

Last friday a 20-year-old Kier Western employee was struck by a skip that fell from a telescopic handleron the Cattedown Enterprise site in Plymouth. Three days later, a John Doyle employee sustained injuries on Land Securities' Wilton Plaza site in Victoria, London, after being hit by a steel beam. Police temporarily closed the site.

On wednesday 12 Septamber, a 19 year old was killed by bricks falling off a palate during an extension to domestic premises in Troon, Ayrshire.

The Health and Safety Executive is investigating all three incidents.