HEALTH and safety chiefs are planning an initiative to reduce the number of accidents in the construction industry involving falls from height.

Bill Mckay, the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) principal inspector for construction in the North-East, said: "Work at height continues to be the most significant cause of fatal accidents on construction sites.

"Since the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations were introduced in 1994, designers have had legal duties to design risk out where reasonably practicable.

"Many designers have invested considerable resource and innovation in this area, but many others have simply failed to address this area of their work, often with fatal consequences."

Mr Mckay said that to improve the situation, HSE construction inspectors in the region will be meeting designers on site to talk about the way design issues impinge on site safety.

HSE will contact planning supervisors and designers for a range of projects to arrange meetings, at which they will be given the chance to explain what they have done during the design stage to reduce the risk for those working on sites.

Mr Mckay said: "In the past five years, 437 people have been killed on construction sites in the UK, of whom 225 were killed as a result of a fall from height.

"That's nearly one person every week."