HSE Publishes Figures for Fatally Injured Workers
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published the latest provisional statistics on fatal injuries in the workplace for the period between April 2015 and March 2016. The HSE’s provisional figures show 144 workers were killed, which shows a slight increase from the figures released the previous year, at a rate of 0.46 fatalities per 100,000 workers.
The report shows the sectors which have the latest highest recorded fatality numbers and rates, with construction (recording 43 fatalities, up from 35 in 2014/15, a rate of 1.94 deaths per 100,000 workers), agricultural (recording 27 fatalities, down from 33 deaths recorded in 2014/15, a rate of 7.73 deaths per 100,000 workers) and waste and recycling (recording 6 fatalities, the same as deaths recorded in 2014/15, a rate of 5.71 deaths per 100,000 workers) showing the highest rates.
Whilst the number of fatal injuries to workers shows no continued improvement this year, the statistics show again confirm the UK to be one of the safest places to work in Europe, having one of the lowest rates of fatal injuries to workers in leading industrial nations.
Following the launch of the HSE’s ‘Help Great Britain Work Well’ strategy, which aims to cover six main themes in a bid to encourage organisations and people to engage and work together towards better risk management, Martin Temple, HSE Chair quoted “One death at work or life needlessly shortened, is one too many and behind every statistic lies a real story of loss and heartbreak and families left to grieve.
“This year HSE travelled the country asking industry representatives, employers, unions, workers and others what they could do to help GB work well. The response was hugely encouraging and I would like to ask people to deliver on the commitments made, that will help keep Britain’s workers alive.”
For more information on these published figures, visit http://www.hse.gov.uk. For assistance or guidance from the S2 Partnership on managing safety and health, contact our expert team.