Welcome back and firstly, everyone here at Prosafe (UK) Ltd would like to wish you a very happy, safe and healthy New Year.
So, the results are in.
The Health and Safety Executive have kicked off 2020 by publishing the Labour Force Surveys official 2018/19 UK Health and Safety statistics, 6 of which we thought we’d share with you. And as you’ll see they sure do make for some interesting reading.
- 1.4 million working people suffering from a work-related illness
Of these 1.4 million, work-related injuries 44% are stress, depression and anxiety related, 37% are musculoskeletal disorders.
- 147 workers killed at work
So how did these fatalities occur? Well falls from height accounted for the greatest number of deaths, followed by moving vehicles, objects and machinery.
- 581,000 working people sustaining an injury at work
Sounds like a lot, right? Slips, trips and same level falls are the way most workers were injured, followed by handling lifting or carrying. Interestingly acts of violence count for 8% of injuries.
- 69,208 injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR
RIDDOR requires employers to report certain workplace non-fatal injuries. These are generally the more serious injuries which are those that result in more than 7 days absence from work.
Interestingly it is known that employers substantially under-report these non-fatal injuries and current levels of overall employer reporting if them is estimated at around a half. Also, the reporting of injuries to the self-employed is a much lower proportion.
- £15 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2017/18)
Ill health causes the biggest proportion of total costs at around 65% (£9.8 billion), with injury resulting in around 35% of total costs (£5.2 billion).
So ill health contributes to a greater proportion of total costs, despite injuries accounting for a greater proportion of cases. This is because ill health cases result in more time off work on average, which drives higher costs.
- 70% of UK establishments have a Health and Safety representative or a representative of employee safety
Of this group, only 71% reported that representatives or management regularly discuss Health and Safety.
What can we take from these statistics?
These results show us that there is still so much as employees and managers can do because as we all know, all injuries and fatalities in the workplace are preventable It simply takes the correct strategies, attention and time to be given to Health and Safety management systems.
If you are one of the 30% of businesses without Health and Safety representation then you are increasing the risk of accidents in your workplace, worse still if you have representation that is dormant.
To ensure you or your employees don’t become a statistic, take action this New Year and make 2020 your businesses safest, healthiest and happiest yet.
For help, guidance and advice on where to start call Prosafe (UK) Ltd on 01724 712342 or email info@prosafeuk.co.uk