Reduction in work-related deaths 'encouraging'

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) said 212 workers were killed in the year to March, 11 fewer than the previous 12 months. Ministers and safety officials said the figures were encouraging but stressed that workplaces could be made safer.

HSC chairman Bill Callaghan said: "There are still too many people killed at work every year, and quite often simple, inexpensive measures could have prevented the tragic loss of life.

"The figures show that the Commission's strategy is working. This is based on enforcement, information and advice, regulation and persuasion and working in partnership with industry and trade unions."

The HSC claimed that Britain had the lowest fatal accident injury rate in Europe. However, health and safety minister Lord Hunt said the UK could not afford to be complacent.

"212 deaths are 212 deaths too many," he said, "and we must continue to focus our efforts on making further improvements and reducing this number even further."

Falls from height

Construction and agriculture accounted for just under half of all fatal injuries, although there was a 14% reduction in construction-related deaths and a 21% reduction in agriculture.

Falling from height was the most common kind of accident, accounting for a fifth of fatal injuries, followed by being struck by an object or struck by a moving vehicle.

In manufacturing, the number of fatal injuries to workers increased in 2005/06, from 43 to 45. In the large services sector there were 69 fatalities in 2005/06 compared to 67 the year before. Of the 69 deaths, 16 occurred in land transport; 8 in retail trade; 7 in sewage & refusal disposal activities and 6 in the sale, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles.

The number of members of the public injured in the same year increased from 370 to 384. These figures included suicide and trespass on the railways, which accounted for 254 deaths.

'Proper deterrents'

David Urpeth, head of workplace injuries team at law firm Irwin Mitchell said: "These statistics are very encouraging and we welcome the fall in deaths in the workplace. However one death at work because of health and safety issues being overlooked or criminally neglected, is one death too many.

"We do not think it is unrealistic to imagine a workplace with no deaths, enabling people to go to work and not worry about whether they will return home."

Mick Antoniw of law firm Thompsons said the statistics made "sad reading" for families of people killed at work.

"We suspect that the numbers of serious injuries and deaths at work will continue to rise until the courts put proper deterrents in place in terms of harsher sentences, and until such time that the Health and Safety Executive is properly resourced and able to investigate fully."