NEWS
INDUSTRY DANGERS HIGHLIGHTED WITH LATEST
HEALTH AND SAFETY STATISTICS
Figures published on 29th October show that while Britain continues to be one of the safest places
to work in Europe, too many workers are still being injured or made ill by work
I
njury and ill-health statistics released by the Health and
Safety Executive (HSE) show that an estimated 28.2 million
working days were lost due to work related ill health or
injury in 2013/14.
As a result, the cost to society from such injuries and new
cases of ill health due to current working conditions is an
estimated £14.2 billion (2012/13 figures based on 2012 prices),
according to the latest annual statistics published by HSE.
Judith Hackitt, the chair of HSE, says that behind every
number is the reality of a real person being killed or suffering
injuries or ill health while simply doing their job.
The statistics show that in 2013/14, there were: 133 fatal
injuries – a fall from 150 the previous year. 77,593 other
injuries were reported under The Reporting of Injuries,
Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013
(RIDDOR).
That equates to 304.6 injuries per 100,000 employees and
estimated two million people in 2013/14 suffering from an
illness they believed was caused or made worse by current or
past work.
Judith Hackitt said: “These latest figures remind us what
health and safety is really about. We should remind ourselves
what these numbers actually mean – the number of times
in the last year someone went out to work and either did
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HSE INTERNATIONAL
not return home to their loved ones or came home with life
changing injuries.
“The health numbers also demonstrate the scale of harm
being done to people’s health while at work, too often leading
to premature death.
“Jobsworths using ‘elf n safety as a convenient excuse for
all manner of things, and those claiming health and safety
is a burden, need to reflect on this. Britain has one of the
best health and safety systems in the world, but that is cold
comfort to those who have suffered loss or suffering that
is so easily avoided with sensible and proportionate risk
management.
“We all need to commit to focussing on what really matters
– ensuring more people return home from work every day
and enjoy long and healthy working lives.”
The industries in which employees are most likely to be
injured by their jobs have not changed significantly – with
construction (1900 major/specified injuries), agriculture (292
major/specified injuries), manufacturing (3159 major/specified
injuries) and waste and recycling (486 major/specified injuries)
among the higher risk sectors. `
Original Source: http://www.hseinternational.co.uk/
industry-dangers-highlighted-with-latest-health-andsafety-statistics/