How Many Fatalities Really Take Place in the Workplace?

Health and safety myth-mongers love to downplay the importance of the many rules and restrictions we have in our workplaces.

But as we know all too well, these are there to keep everyone safe from harm. But however hard we might try to keep things hazard-free, accidents do happen – and the worst of course, is when a serious injury or fatality occurs.

But how many of these really take place, and what are the biggest culprits? With the newly released stats on fatal injuries being published by the HSE, we’ve got the chance to take a closer look at what went on last year – as well as looking at what we need to take more care on!

A cold, hard look at the numbers

First off – let’s take a look at the stats. There were 265 fatal injuries across the board over the past year – while it might not sound like a lot overall, it’s jarring to see that there’s been a slight increase from the previous year.

So which industries are most at risk?

It might not come as much of a surprise – but agriculture and construction were the two industries with the biggest number of injuries, with 37 and 39 each, respectively.

Good news for the mining industry though – with only two fatal injuries over the past year, this sector’s fared well, and it’s heartening to see that increasing safety awareness has definitely paid off!

Compared with the rest of the world…

We always want to make sure we minimise the risk of injuries as much as possible – whether they’re fatal or serious injuries, or minor ones.

It’s good to see that the efforts people are making across the board really do make a difference – the UK has a much lower rate of incidents compared to the rest of the EU – and especially in comparison to other big industrial countries like Germany and France.

So give yourself a well deserved pat on the back for that one!

What needs to be done?

Health and safety is always an on-going task – you’ll always have to make sure that you’ve adapted to the constantly changing environment and factors around you!

So an important thing to bear in mind when reviewing your safety measures is to make sure they are regularly updated with a complete risk assessment. Don’t just rely on one done yonks ago – check out what regulations might have changed, any new equipment that might have introduced, and if any new risks have emerged.

Don’t overlook the small details on your work site either. You might be used to walking past the same old safety rail everyday – but that doesn’t mean you should stop to check it and take a fresh look – you might not realise what hazards go unnoticed everyday.

Your takeaway points:

• there were 265 fatal injuries in the workplace in the UK, over the past year – which is actually a small increase from the previous year
• Agriculture and construction were the two industries that took the biggest hit, so if you’re in those fields make sure you’re paying extra attention
• The UK is still a lot safer in the workplace than many other countries, especially other places across the EU – so there’s some good news at least!

Have you encountered any fatal accidents in the workplace? What are you doing to keep your site safer?

About David Cant

A chartered (fellow) safety and risk management practitioner with 20+ years of experience. David provides a healthy dose of how-to articles, advice and guidance to make compliance easier for construction professionals, Architects and the built environment. Get social with David on Twitter and Linkedin.