Work deaths rise sparks concern
28 June 2011
IOSH raised concerns today (28 June 2011)
about the rise in the number of people killed at work.
The Health and Safety Executive said workplace fatalities rose
last year to 171, including 50 in the construction industry. Deaths
for the year to March were up by 24 from the record low of 147 in
the previous 12 months.
Richard Jones, head of policy and public
affairs at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, told
the Press Association: “This is a shock. In times of recession,
there is usually a drop in accidents and fatalities because fewer
people are working.
“With the publication of these figures, we
need to be doubly clear that cost cuts to reduce the deficit, and
any changes in legislation planned by the Government, must not
result in the loss of more lives in the workplace.”
There were nine more construction deaths compared to 2009/10,
although the HSE said the average over the past five years was 61,
while fatalities fell from 39 to 34 in the agriculture
industry.
HSE chair Judith Hackitt told PA: "The
increase in the number of deaths in the last year is disappointing,
after an all time low last year. However, we must remember that we
still have one of the lowest rates of fatal injury anywhere in
Europe.
"The fact that 171 people failed to come home
from work to their loved ones last year reminds us all of what we
are here to do.
"It is a stark reminder of the need to ensure
that health and safety remains focused on the real risks, which
exist in workplaces not on trivia and pointless paperwork.”
ends
Contact Tim Walsh for
further details