Slight fall in workplace injuries and ill-health

Workplace ill-health and injury fell slightly in a number of key areas last year, according to new figures published by the Heath and Safety Executive (HSE).

The statistics show that in Britain between April 2011 and March 2012, 22,433 major injuries such as amputations, fractures and burns to employees were reported compared with 24,944 in 2010/11. The average for the past five years is 27,170.

88,731 other injuries serious enough to keep people off work for four or more days were also reported – a rate of 355.5 injuries per 100,000 employees – down from 91,742 the previous year. The average for the past five years is 103,627.

An estimated 1.1 million people said they were suffering from an illness caused or made worse by their work, down from 1.2 million in 2010/11. Of these, 452,000 were new illnesses occurring during 2011/12, compared with an average 554,000 new cases each year for the past five years.

A total of 173 workers were fatally injured in 2011/12 – slightly down from 175 the previous year. The average for the past five years is 196 worker deaths per year.

Last year also saw a significant fall in the number of enforcement notices issued. The total of 14,525 notices issued by HSE and local authorities in 2011/12 represents a 21-per-cent fall on the total of 18,308 issued the previous year.

Chair of HSE Judith Hackitt said: “Any reduction in the number of people being injured or made unwell by their jobs should be welcomed. Given the challenging economic conditions which many sectors have faced in recent years it is particularly encouraging to see continued reductions in levels of injury and ill health.

“Britain has earned the reputation of being one of the safest places in Europe to work, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. We need to ensure that we all focus on managing the real risks which lead to serious workplace harm.”

There has also been little change in the industries in which workers are most likely to be injured or made unwell by their jobs – with construction (171.8 major injuries per 100,000 employees), agriculture (241.0 major injuries per 100,000 employees) and waste and recycling (397.6 major injuries per 100,000 employees) among the higher risk sectors.

The toll of injury and ill-health resulted in 27 million working days being lost, an average of 16.8 days per case, with 22.7 million days lost to ill-health and 4.3 million days lost to injuries. These figures are up slightly on 2010/11 when 26.4million working days were lost. Workplace injuries and ill-health (excluding work related cancer) cost society an estimated £13.4billion in 2010/11.