The boom in the construction industry has led to an increase in accidents. Tighter production deadlines, a large influx of new and largely untrained workers, and a low level of safety awareness are all factors.
Another significant element has been the high level of subcontracting, where respect for safety standards is traditionally poor.
Employment in the construction industry now stands at well over 100,000, compared with 81,500 in 1995, when 13 building workers died. In 1996 the number of workers rose to 86,000 and there were 14 fatalities.
Yesterday's deaths bring to 14 the number of fatalities so far this year, more than the 13 deaths in all of 1997, when 97,000 were employed in the sector. The Health and Safety Authority has increased site inspections by 35 per cent since 1995 to about 4,000 a year. But most courts still impose minimal penalties.
In a much-publicised prosecution of Zoe Developments last November in the High Court, Mr Justice Kelly imposed a £100,000 penalty for breaches of the safety regulations after a 24-year-old Mayo man was killed on a Zoe site at Charlotte Quay in Dublin.
While the conviction rate obtained by the HSA in prosecutions of employers for breaches of the safety laws is exceptionally high, ranging from 96 per cent to 77 per cent in recent years, the average fine per case is low.
In 1994, for instance, it was £1,070. It fell to £584 per case in 1995 and then rose slightly, to £726 per case in 1996. The average costs awarded, at £7,285 per case in 1996, far exceeds the actual penalties.
Prohibition orders, which halt work until safety requirements are met, are a bigger disincentive to most employers than fines. In recent years the HSA has targeted the construction industry, where more inspections are carried out each year than in any other single sector.
However, it is not the most dangerous sector. Transport, with 2,622 accidents per 100,000 employees, holds that distinction. The rate in construction is 1,860 accidents per employee.