‘Workplace safety’ searches in decline
Statistics from the Health and Safety Executive show that 1.3 million people suffer from a work related illness, with 31.2 million working days lost due to injuries and ill health from working conditions.
Safety Services Direct have added to this, calculating an estimated salary loss of £1.47 billion annually, due to workplace illness or injury.
For those in full time contracted work, sick pay can help in reclaiming some of these lost wages, however those working under zero-hours contracts may not be so lucky.
Yet Safety Services Direct have uncovered that search trends show a declining interest in workplace safety searches.
The question is, are we still concerned about workplace safety? Or have businesses become safer working environments?
Safety Service Direct’s own sales data shows a decline in the last year of safety advisory services, whilst training courses have seen an increase in sales. Manual handling training alone has seen a 400% increase.
This suggests that businesses are now taking responsibility for their own safety and putting their workers first – therefore expecting loss of earnings figures to decline in the coming years.
Rebecca Mitchell, health and safety consultant from Safety Services Direct, said: “It’s vital that businesses take responsibility for the safety of their workforce and whilst it’s promising to see statistics improving, there’s still work to be done to reduce not only loss of earnings, but loss of revenue to the business."
