Deaths up in injury and ill-health stats

02 November 2011

IOSH has voiced concerns over rising work-related deaths announced today, suggesting the figures could be a delayed effect of the recession and ‘belt-tightening’.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) annual statistics show that from April 2010 to March 2011, workplace fatalities have risen to 171 – up from 147 last year.  Overall, 26.4 million working days were lost to injury and ill-health across the 12 months, but encouragingly, incidents of injury and ill-health are down overall.

IOSH head of policy and public affairs Richard Jones said: “It’s disappointing that the drop in fatal injuries from last year hasn’t been maintained - even one death is too many. We’re concerned that this could be a delayed knock-on effect of recession and ‘belt-tightening’ – like cutting back on training and maintenance – that could now be beginning to bite.

“The solution is better health and safety management. With this, employers can play a part in reversing the tide once again - saving lives, supporting business and sustaining the UK economy.“

While fatalities have increased, the number of major injuries is down from 26,268 in 2009/10 to 24,726, and where injuries have kept people off work for four or more days, these show a drop of six per cent to 90,653. And where illness is concerned, an estimated 1.2 million people said they had a condition that had been caused or made worse by work, compared to 1.3 million last year.

Richard added: “These slightly improved figures on injury and ill-health are welcome and it’s positive that fewer people returned home from work with conditions that are preventable. However, far more still needs to be done. In the current climate it can be difficult to tell whether these figures show genuine improvement in occupational safety and health management, or whether they reflect lower levels of industrial activity during this period of austerity.”

Following these new statistics, Britain continues to have the lowest rate of fatal occupational injuries in Europe, as well as one of the lowest levels of work-related ill-health.

In the announcement this morning, HSE chair Judith Hackitt said: “Britain can be proud that it has one of the best health and safety records in Europe, but as the increase in the number of fatalities makes clear we can never let up in our commitment to addressing the serious risks which continue to cause death and injury in workplaces.

“HSE will continue to work with employers, employees and other organisations to maintain and, where necessary improve, health and safety standards. We all have a responsibility to make sure serious workplace risks are sensibly managed."

Among other statistics, the construction and agricultural industries have the highest levels of work-related injuries.