Injury and death from construction accidents are so common in Manila that many building sites there are described as "war zones." Similar situations exist in many other developing countries. Worldwide, construction accidents claim an estimated 55,000 lives annually. Most happen in the developing worldand most are preventable.
DAY LABORERS. In developing countries, construction work is not only unnecessarily dangerous, it is badly paid and insecure. The majority of the workers are recruited through intermediaries, or labor agents, on a short-term (often daily) basis and dismissed when no longer required. They receive no holiday pay, sick leave, health care, pensions or other benefits. They work long hours, yet at the end of a 12-hour day they receive so little in wages that they barely can afford to buy food for themselves, let alone support their families.