Around 25% of UK construction workers are migrants, rising to 50% with undeclared workers. Many have limited English and rely on informal, unverified translation on site—posing serious health and safety risks. This project is the first to systematically examine informal interlingual communication in construction, reframing it not as a barrier but as a potential asset.

Since Donaghy’s influential 2009 report “One death is too many,” fatality rates in UK construction have not declined, with migrant workers disproportionately affected. Many recommendations remain unimplemented, while poor safety culture, precarious employment, and weak enforcement continue to threaten migrant workers’ safety and social justice.

This study looks at informal language practices as a valuable, underused resource for improving safety. By exploring how language work unfolds across site interactions, it aims to inform practical guidance on language training and communication management in multilingual construction environments to enhance safety outcomes.

Research Leads: Dr Florence Phua (f.phua@reading.ac.uk) and Mr Adrian Tagg (a.tagg@reading.ac.uk), University of Reading.

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* 1. What best describes your company and where is operates

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* 2. Where in the UK does your company have construction sites (You can select more than one)

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* 3. What is the percentage of non-English speaking construction operatives on your site / sites at any given time (please give approximate if exact figures not known)

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* 4. Does the prevalence of non-English speaking differ regionally?

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* 5. Thinking of your sites, which region has the highest prevalence of non-English speaking construction operatives?

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* 6. As a company, do you have a direct influence on the appointment of non-English speaking site operatives.

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* 7. What is the main method of employment used by your company for recruiting non-English speaking site operatives?

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* 8. Are non-English speaking site operatives vetted for their language competencies and to what level (i.e. GCSE level)?

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* 9. Typically, are you aware of how many different languages are spoken on your sites?

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* 10. On a typical site, how are different languages and communication managed between site operatives and construction managers.

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* 11. How is the importance of site Health and Safety (H&S) conveyed to non-English speaking site operatives beyond inductions, toolbox talks, posters and signages?

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* 12. What measures are in place to provide effective translation of H&S amongst non-English speaking site operatives?

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* 13. Aside from inductions, toolbox talks and the measures identified above, how is H&S generally communicated in a live/dynamic operational environment on a day-to day basis?

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* 14. To what extent do you agree with the following statement: "Non-English speaking site operatives are more at risk of injury or death on construction sites"

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* 15. Are non-English speaking trade or gang leaders typically expected to be informal translators for day-to-day site communications with non-English speaking site operatives?

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* 16. On your sites, who is effectively communicating the enforcement of H&S procedures in a live operational environment?

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* 17. Do you perceive there to be a direct and increased H&S risk due to communication being lost in translation?

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* 18. Would your company consider formally recognizing language or translation training as a contribution to social value, particularly for supporting under-represented groups and promoting community integration when bidding for work as part of the Social Value Act 2012?

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* 19. If you are willing to participate in a broader discussion on the formal recognition of language skills / training for gang leaders or operatives who presently act as informal translators), please leave your name and contact email address:

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