HR Industry News

Workplace death figures unacceptable

— 8 August 2007 —

New figures from the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) reveal that the number of workplace deaths in the UK rose by 11% last year.

In 2006/07, 241 people were fatally injured compared to 217 the previous year. This has prompted HSC chair, Bill Callaghan, to brand the loss of so many lives as unacceptable.

He said that behind every one of these numbers was a man or a woman, with a life, friends and family.

Callaghan has now issued a fresh challenge to industry to place safety at the top of its priorities.

Although a long-term downward trend in workplace deaths is still clear, the rate of decrease has slowed over the past 15 years and there has been very little change in the overall rate of deaths in the past five years.

Of the main industrial sectors, construction has the highest total number of fatal injuries and accounts for 31% of all those killed at work.

Manufacturers' organisation the EEF has also urged employers to step up efforts to improve health and safety performance.

The organisation’s director general, Martin Temple, is reported as saying that the number of deaths at work remains unacceptable and, while there were fewer deaths in manufacturing, the fact the overall number has increased shows that employers need to redouble their efforts.

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