The Health, Safety & Welfare of Migrant Construction Workers in the South East report interviewed migrant workers, employers, trade unions and health and safety officials to gauge opinions on work conditions across their industry.

Charly Clark, representing ICE, commented: "There is a strong argument for supporting the needs of migrant workers to ultimately protect their safety. ICE is calling for a coordinated approach across the construction industry to prevent migrant workers from falling foul of workplace danger."

In the last 25 years, over 2,800 people have died in the UK from injuries they received as a result of construction work, which equates to around 80 people per year, highlighting the need to raise awareness of health and safety in the workplace.

Most workers that took part in the research were happy with their employment conditions, although concern was expressed that no single agency or body appeared to be taking the lead on migrant worker issues.

Some migrant workers interviewed felt they had a general lack of awareness of the long-term health impacts of construction work. Many did not perceive that they had any responsibility for managing their own health and safety or understood their rights and responsibilities under current legislation.

A construction industry representative body interviewed for the research commented: "Migrant workers do not have the same degree of health and safety awareness because they are not used to our practices. This could be why the accident rate has increased this year."