Introduction

In most industrialised and developing countries, the construction industry is one of the most significant in terms of contribution to GDP and also in terms of impact on the health and safety of the working population. The construction industry is both economically and socially important. In Australia, the value of construction work performed in residential, non-residential and engineering construction sectors in 1996-1997 was AU$40.5 billion (ABS 1997a,b). On average, the industry amounts to between 6.5 and 7 per cent of Australia’s GDP, and between 1995 and 1996, 682,000 people were employed in the construction industry in Australia (AEGIS 1999).