Why Monday is the most dangerous day on a building site

A number of factors combine to give this "Monday effect", but we can address them to reduce the number of avoidable workplace accidents.

- Milad Haghani

Australia's construction industry employs more than 1.3 million workers. That's about 9 per cent of the workforce.

But construction sites can be dangerous workplaces. There are also more accidents on a Monday than any other weekday, a pattern we see in many countries.

A number of factors combine to give us this "Monday effect." And we can address these and other issues to reduce the number of avoidable workplace accidents on Mondays and other days of the week.

CONSTRUCTION IS DANGEROUS The construction sector has higher rates of workplace injuries than the national average.

In 2023, the industry reported 45 workers had died, an increase from the five-year average of 33.

Construction workers most commonly die after being hit by moving objects. Deaths after falls, trips and slips are the next most common reasons.

The 2022-2023 financial year saw more than 16,600 serious workers' compensation claims in the construction sector. The median compensation now stands at A$18,479 (S$16,135), with a median work time lost of 8.5 weeks - both up from previous years.

THE 'MONDAY EFFECT' Various studies across different regions confirm the "Monday effect" in construction. For example, a Chinese study found fatal accidents were 12.6 per cent more common on Mondays compared with other weekdays. There was a similar trend in Spain and Hong Kong.

We also see the "Monday effect" in other industries, such as agriculture, forestry, mining and manufacturing.

A Spanish study that looked at the records of nearly three million occupational accidents, including construction, confirmed the "Monday effect" across industries, in companies of all sizes, for all types of workers, and for different types of injury.

Combined data of all occupational accidents in Queensland also confirms the "Monday effect".