A young construction worker was seriously injured on Wednesday as a freshly built brick wall collapsed, with debris hitting the man on the head.

This newspaper was onsite and it was clear that the injured man had sustained a head injury. Some of the photographs of the scene were too graphic and were not published as one could literally see a depression in his skull.

It seems that he was not wearing a safety helmet. Before letting out a sigh of disbelief, this country needs to admit something to itself. While there have been improvements in terms of safety at the workplace, we are still lackadaisical, at best. Construction workers rarely wear headgear and moreover, they hardly ever wear security harnesses while on the job.

But it does not stop there. This wishy-washy way of doing things also permeates into DIY and home improvements. We have lost count of the amount of people who have fallen and hurt themselves. A substantial number of others have died.

Even if one looks up at windows and balconies, it is not uncommon to see a maid or housewife dangling precariously as they furiously apply suds to windows. If we were to be completely honest with ourselves, we can sometimes be downright dangerous and foolhardy.

The local trade unions have made great strides in training workers, especially of the assembly line type, to ensure that they get training off the job. For this, the unions are to be commended in helping to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities at the workplace.

But, it is clear that more needs to be done. Now let us call a spade, a spade. It is a well-known fact that construction contractors engage cheap migrant labour. The man who was injured yesterday was black. It is also an open secret that while many of these workers are paid ‘under the counter’, so to speak, they are often also ignorant of safety procedure. Others know safety procedures well, but are so desperate for the money that they just put up and shut up and get on with the job.

The employer should have the responsibility to provide safety equipment for those who work and this does not always happen. The Occupational Health and Safety Department does conduct checks, but perhaps it is time to up the presence in the field. More inspections of construction sites need to be made, and inspectors must come down hard on those employers who do breach safety rules. This must, of course, go hand in hand with a solid education programme which must not only address years of bad habits accumulated by local masons and builders, but also more intensive safety courses for immigrant workers who are often engaged on the very factors that cause them danger: Strength, work rate and willingness to take risks.

Accidents will always happen. It only takes a blink of an eye, a slip of a finger or a misplaced step. But what we, as a society, as employers, as employees and as regulators must do is ensure that all possible precautions are taken to avoid accidents that can kill and maim. Skilled work is hard to come by. Jobs are precious. It is time for us all to pull our socks up.