A spate of accidents that left a number of construction workers dead or injured after buildings collapsed has prompted the department of labour to hold a summit to address the issue.

The high level construction summit, which will be held at the Birchwood conference centre in Ekurhuleni on Tuesday, will be addressed by Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana, his spokesman Page Boikanyo said on Monday.

"The summit aims at setting targets to reduce the number of fatalities, raise awareness about health and safety issues on construction sites and reduce the number of health related injuries," Boikanyo said.

He said an "effective practical strategy" would also be put together to deal with the incidents in line with the Occupational Health and Safety Accord signed between the department, business and labour unions.

Signed in 2002, the Accord sought to reduce the high number of work related accidents and create healthy and safe working environments for construction workers.

Trade union representatives, business people, professional architects and designers, occupational health and safety legal experts and government representatives were expected to attend the summit.