02/07/2015
Neil Seddon
Provisional figures released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that in 2014/15, there were 142 fatal injuries in UK workplaces. Although this figure is 9% lower than the average for the previous five years (156), it is higher than the 136 recorded deaths in 2013/14. Industries with the highest risk of injury have not changed significantly, with construction, manufacturing and agriculture recording the most fatalities.
Due to variances in definitions of workplace accidents, and differences in internal industry structures, fatal injury statistics are difficult to compare with countries such as Asia and the USA, however, certain comparisons can still be made with other European countries. The United Kingdom continues to be one of the safest places to work in Europe with a fatal injury rate in 2012 of 0.58 deaths per 100,000 workers. When compared to other countries including Germany (0.9), Italy (1.29), Spain (1.99) and France (2.64), the UK rate is much lower.
Judith Hackitt, chair of the HSE said: “It is disappointing last year’s performance on fatal injuries has not been matched, but the trend continues to be one of improvement. Our systems and our framework remain strong as demonstrated by our performance in comparison to other countries. Every fatality is a tragic event and our commitment to preventing loss of life in the workplace remains unaltered. All workplace fatalities drive HSE to develop even more effective interventions to reduce death, injury and ill health.”
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the national, independent watchdog that acts to reduce the number of work-related deaths and serious injuries in the workplaces of Great Britain.
Please note that this article is meant as general guidance and not intended as legal or professional advice. Updates to the law may have changed since this article was published.