HSE reveals improvement in workplace health and safety

The Health and Safety Executive has released its latest health and safety statistics. Workers in England could be surprised that although 142 workers died in workplace accidents during the 2014-15 provisional year, this figure is down from the previous five years. Also, 76,000 work injuries were reported under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, and workers missed 27.3 million days of work because of work-related illnesses and injuries.

Among the fatalities reported for the year, five of them happened in the waste industry, 33 of them were agricultural workers and 35 worked in construction. Over the previous 20 years, the HSE has seen a decrease in the rate of fatal injuries, but the trend has become less evident since the 2008-09 provisional year.

While the RIDDOR reported 76,000 worker injuries for the year, the Labour Force Survey reported 611,000 injuries, and 152,000 of the individuals remained out of work for more than seven days. Additionally, 1.2 million workers reported being ill and that they think their work made their illness worse. Of these ill workers, 500,000 said that the illness started during the year. Another 800,000 former workers who had not worked for more than 12 months suffered illnesses that their previous work made worse or caused.

The 27.3 million days of work that were missed means that 15 days of work were lost for every work injury or illness case. Work injuries resulted in 4.1 million lost days of work, and illnesses caused 23.3 million days lost. On a case-by-case basis, injured workers took 6.7 days off, and ill workers took 19 days.

Workers who are injured in workplace accidents or become ill because of their work may have claims for compensation. The workers could talk to personal injury solicitors about their unique situations, and they may be able to secure an interim payment if they are experiencing financial hardship because of their injuries or illnesses.