Clearview North December 2013 - Issue 145 | Page 12

INDUSTRYNEWS

WORKPLACE MAJOR INJURIES HIT
AN ALL TIME LOW FOR 2012/13
Figures published by the Health and Safety Executive show an 11
per cent drop in major injuries compared to 2011/12.
The provisional statistics show that in Britain between April 2012 and
March 2013:
• 19,707 major injuries such as amputations, fractures and burns,
to employees were reported (a rate of 78.5 injuries per 100,000
employees) – compared with 22,094 in 2011/12 (a rate of 88.5 per
100,000 employees)
• 148 workers fatally injured – down from 171 the previous year. The
average for the past five years was 181 worker deaths per year.
• Workplace injuries and ill-health (excluding work related cancer) cost
society an estimated £13.8 billion in 2010/11 compared with £16.3
billion in 2006/07 (both in 2011 prices).

Chair of HSE, Judith Hackitt said: “This year’s figures demonstrate
that Britain continues to improve its health and safety performance,
with important falls in the number of workers fatally injured and the
number of employees suffering major injuries.
“But we still see too many deaths and injuries occur in the work
place many of which could have been prevented through simple safety
measures. Getting this right is the key to ensuring that everyone can
make it home safely at the end of their working day.
There has also been little change in the industries in which workers are
most likely to be injured by their jobs, with construction (156.0 major
injuries per 100,000 employees) among the higher risk sectors.
The full statistics are available at www.hse.gov.uk/statistics

DROP IN FATAL AND MAJOR INJURIES
IN GB WORKPLACES WELCOMED
The British Safety Council welcomed the
improvements in Great Britain’s health and
safety performance published by the Health
and Safety Executive (HSE) in its annual
statistics report. HSE noted a significant
reduction in the number of workers killed
and seriously injured at work. The number
and incidence of fatal injuries in Great
Britain fell significantly as did the number
and incidence of major injuries.
Alex Botha, chief executive of the British
Safety Council, while welcoming these
improvements, noted that much more

is needed to be done in order to achieve
the British Safety Council’s vision that no
one should be injured or killed in Britain’s
workplaces.
“While the number of people killed and
seriously injured in Britain’s workplaces
continues to fall year-on-year we echo the
comments of HSE’s chair, Judith Hackitt,
that many of these deaths and serious injuries
could have been prevented by simple safety
measures,” said Alex Botha. “While the
number of deaths in British workplaces has
halved over the last 20 years – 148 workers

killed in 2012/13 compared to nearly 300 in
1993/94 – it remains a major concern that the
agriculture, construction and waste re-cycling
sectors together account for almost half of
these unnecessary deaths.
“We must not forget the tragic toll of
work-related disease. HSE reports that around
13,000 deaths each year are attributable to
work-related disease including occupational
cancers – 40% in construction. We all
have a role to play in ensuring risks are
properly controlled to prevent harm in the
workplace.”

Finance matters
Consumer Credit Solutions (CCS) has been
shortlisted for a prestigious Construction
Marketing Award (www.cmawards.co.uk) in
the ‘Best Professional Services Campaign’
category, with its agency MRA Marketing.
The CCS/MRA campaign challenges the
negative perceptions of point-of-sale finance
still held by some who associate it with hard
selling and high rates. CCS is the leading
intermediary provider of credit to the home
improvement industry and has pioneered “soft
sell” finance (i.e. low or zero interest rates,
with flexibility and customer control). The
company already partners most of the top 100
home improvement firms but the death of the

12

DEC 2013

remortgage market and the reluctance of banks
to lend have contributed to a growing demand
for finance from homeowners who prefer to
use local or regional installers. CCS’s ability to
offer credit terms consumers could never get
from high street lenders – with Interest Free,
Buy Now Pay Later, and ‘Bank Buster’ rates has also had a direct impact on its growth.
Andy Wallace, Managing Partner at CCS, is
delighted. “We’re pleased to see that our message
-‘If homeowners can’t buy, then you can’t sell’ – is
recognised as an important and relevant one for
the home improvement industry.”
www.creditsolutionsgrou