The HSE have released their latest figures relating to deaths, injuries and ill health at work for 2013/14.They have made the statistics applicable for each local authority area so that they can see how businesses in their locality are performing in terms of health & safety.
The Health and Safety Executive is marking its 40th anniversary with an appeal for businesses in Bristol, Bath, Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to prioritise the wellbeing of their workers in 2015.
Figures show that 4 people across the West of England died in 2013/14 and 3,449 suffered injury as a result of work related activity.
Workplace illness statistics also released for the same period showed that across the West of England, 61,400 people were estimated to have been made ill through their work.
Nationally there were 133 deaths at work and more than 79,500 injuries (through RIDDOR) in 2013/14.
The HSE acknowledged that this “is a huge reduction from when HSE was formally established in January 1975 to enforce the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 – the statute that underpins all health and safety legislation, and that is credited with making the UK one of the safest places to work in the world. In 1974/75 a total of 651 employees alone were killed, and that is without including self-employed workers whose deaths were not recorded in the same way”.
However, the HSE are urging employers to take more measures in 2015 to ensure that they protect their workforce by improving their health, safety and welfare policies and procedures.
The HSE reported that the following areas were most at risk
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Waste & Recycling
- Agriculture
They also highlighted the following workplace activities as areas that needed specific attention
- Falls from height
- Inadequate guarding on machinery
- Poorly maintained equipment/machinery
- Poor management of workplace transport
Harvey Wild, HSE Head of Operations for the South West, said:
“The families of the workers in the West of England who sadly lost their lives last year have just had to spend the festive period without their loved ones, while hundreds of other workers were made ill through their work or had their lives changed forever by a major injury”.
“The figures offer encouragement that we are continuing to head in the right direction, but they also show that we can still go further and challenge the industries where there is room to do more”.
HSE Chair, Judith Hackitt, added: “In the 40 years since HSE was formed, we’ve worked with businesses, workers and government to make Britain a healthier and safer place to work”.
“For the last eight years we have consistently recorded one of the lowest rates of fatal injuries to workers among the leading industrial nations in Europe. However, in HSE’s 40th year it is right that we acknowledge the progress we’ve made and look to a future of striving to bring down these statistics even further.”
Information on tackling health and safety dangers in workplaces is available on HSE’s website at www.hse.gov.uk[1].
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If you’ve got questions or need support on safety in the industrial, contracting or construction sectors please contact us for sensible and proportionate advice on 01453 800100
