A recent report from Health and Safety Executive has highlighted how the number of injuries and incidents in workplaces across Great Britain is still too high.
This report includes statistics for work-related ill health, workplace injuries, working days lost, enforcement action taken, and the associated costs to Great Britain. The statistics show that around 581,000 workers sustained non-fatal injuries in 2018/19.
The report, which was compiled from statistics from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and additional sources, highlighted the following from the period 2018/19;
- 147 fatal injuries were recorded
- 1.4 million working people suffered from a work-related illness
- 364 cases were prosecuted, resulting in a conviction, with fines totalling £54.5 million
- 28.2 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury
In the period 2017/18, it is estimated that the economic cost to Great Britain was £15 billion.
No significant change was found regarding the industries where there is a higher risk of sustaining an injury at work, with the construction and agriculture industries still seen as the highest risk. Although Great Britain is deemed one of the safest places to work, these recent figures show that there is still much to be done and many areas still require improvement in order to reduce fatalities, injuries and ill-health.
Commenting on the recent report, HSE Chair, Martin Temple, said “Great Britain’s position as one of the safest places to work should be a point of pride for us all, but these figures show there is still much to be done to ensure workers go home both healthy and safe. We must all share the responsibility of ensuring everybody is aware of what they need to do to work right by preventing work-related incidents, and making our places of work healthier and safer for everyone.”
Read the full annual injury and ill-health statistics report.
Source: HSE, HSE releases annual injury and ill-health statistics for Great Britain, 30th October 2019. Read the full article.