Lax safety standards are causing a rise in serious accidents on building sites often costing workers weeks off work, Government warned yesterday.

Senior Safety and Health Officer Doris Foley said March had seen a large rise in accidents at job sites both big and small with at least seven falls from height in the first week.

She told The Royal Gazette: "This is the largest number we have ever had in one particular month. We have seen serious injuries fractures of bones."

Ms Foley blamed improper use of scaffolding and fall arrest equipment.

Above six foot, six inches, or two metres, scaffolding must have a guard rail and raised toe board by law.

Her colleague Derrick Simmons, who is the construction specialist, said the accidents were taking a toll on people's earning power.

Speaking on the same day that global trade unions acknowledge the death of approximately two million workers who died as a result of occupational accidents, Mr. Simmons said: "At the very least you are looking at six to seven weeks for the bone to heal and then therapy.

"People can be off up to four or five months depending on the injury.

"The most severe one we had recently was a pelvic fracture. They haven't returned to work as of yet."

Investigations have lead to discoveries about equipment not being set up right and workers not being trained or supervised properly.

He Mr. Simmons said small firms were a particular concern.

"The awareness is not there, it is almost like a time bomb. They are playing Russian roulette from day to day. Things are not safe but they get by from one day to the next. But it is only a matter of time."

Ms Foley said with the smaller firms all too often serious accidents went unreported.

"But we work closely with the emergency services who will call us.

"Most times we get to know. With the larger employers we have developed relationships and they will notify us.

"But when you look at the quantity of work going on in the Island there is probably gross under-reporting of incidents."

She said a key problem was complacency at the workplace.

"People want to do a job as quickly as possible and use the tools they have. If they are not the right tools for the right job they still try to get away with it.

"That's when you have mishaps. Workers need to take safety into their own hands.

"Management has a responsibility. They can assure their employees are properly supervised, trained and instructed."

Sometimes workers used the equipment on site, even if unsuitable, because it was a small job.

And in some cases the public were the ones who were injured because standards were being ignored, said Ms Foley.

While some workers were covered by insurance, temporary workers often bore the brunt of mishaps during long layoffs through injury.

And Ms Foley also said there had been a rise in office workers complaining of repetitive strain injury.

"It could be a mixture of work and also at home where they are playing computer games.

"Caution has to be realised. People need to do things in moderation."

Bermuda Trade Union Congress general secretary Mike Charles said he was worried about the spate of industrial accidents, especially on construction sites.

He said: "I think workers themselves should be encouraged to engage in safe practices.

"Sometimes we get complacent in what we are doing and we don't observe the safety precautions that we should.

"That's when accidents happen, when we take things for granted."

Construction Association president Alex DeCouto said the Safety and Health Office did valuable work but needed more resources to be even more effective.

He said: "A lot of the bigger sites get more attention.

"But you could just as easily die painting a roof with a crummy ladder."