The UK consistently has achieved lower rates of fatal injury compared to other European countries. To put this in perspective, the European average is reported to be 1.19 fatalities per 100,000 employees. Comparatively, in 2016, the rate of fatalities in the UK was 0.53 deaths per 100,000 employees.
Whilst this paints a picture of the UK taking workers' health and safety seriously, there is clearly still work to be done to continue to improve the working environment for all employees. The number of fatalities in the workplace rose to 147 in 2018/2019. In 2018/2018, this figure stood at 144 and in 2016/2017, 137 fatalities were reported. This upward trend is concerning and highlights that employers need to tighten up health and safety practices to avoid the risk of workplace injuries occurring in the first place.
Other trends to note from the latest HSE report include the following:-
Work-related stress, depression of anxiety
- the number of workers suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2018/2019 stood at 602,000
- 246,000 new work-related stress, depression or anxiety cases were reported in 2018/2019
- in 2018/19 stress, depression or anxiety accounted for 44% of all work-related ill health cases
- the rate of such cases is broadly flat but has shown a general upward trend in recent years
- main factors reported to cause such illness were workload pressures, too much responsibility, lack of managerial support, violence and bullying
- public administration and defence had the highest prevalence of work-related stress with an average of 2,500 per 100,000 employees
Workplace injury
- 581,000 workers suffered a non-fatal injury in 2018/2019
- self-reported non-fatal injury shows a general downward trend
- The most common cause of non-fatal injury is slips, trips and falls on the same level - 29% of all non-fatal workplace accidents
- 20% of non-fatal accidents are caused by manual handling. 10% by being struck by a moving object, 8% by acts of violence and 8% by falls from height
- The agriculture, forestry and fishing industry has the highest workplace injury rate
Work-related ill health
- 1.4 million workers suffered from work-related ill health in 2018/2019
- 497,000 workers suffered from a new work-related ill health case in 2018/2019
- 13,000 deaths every year are attributed to past exposure at work, primarily to chemicals or dust
- the rate of work-related ill health over past years has remained broadly the same
- the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply industry has the highest rate of work-related ill health compared to other industries
- occupational lung diseases take a long time to develop following exposure to the agent that caused them. Therefore, the current deaths reflect the effect of past working conditions
So, what should employers be doing to reduce the risk of workplace injury? These are a few examples of the simple steps that employers should be taking:-
- provision of adequate health and safety training - this should cover the methods to be used at work, any risks inherent in the workplace and precautions to be taken
- risk assessments and putting in place appropriate safeguards against recognised risks
- review work practices to ensure they are safe - this is a continuing obligation for employers
- put in place safe systems of work and importantly, communicate this to all employees
- provide suitable work equipment and ensure it is safe to use
- provide protective equipment and maintain such equipment
How can we help?
if you have suffered an injury at work or lost a loved one because of a workplace accident, you may be entitled to claim compensation.
To discuss your specific circumstances with a member of our understanding team, call us on 0800 988 8082 or complete our online enquiry form and we will get back to you right away.