What can we learn from the annual HSE health and safety report?
Posted on 26th Oct, 2015 | By Lorretta Tatham
This week, the Health and Safety Executive released the annual health and safety statistics report detailing figures and key information for the year. The report covers issues ranging from work-related ill health, to workplace risks and injuries, and analyses how statistics have changed and compare across the country and Europe. The report also looks at the impact these numbers have – how injury affects the workplace, and more broadly, how it affects the economy.
Key points in the report
Work-related ill health
- 2 million people who worked during the last year were suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by their work. 500,000 of these cases were diagnosed during that year as new conditions resulting from workplace activity.
- 2,538 people died from mesothelioma in 2013, a cancer caused by past exposure to asbestos. Thousands more died from other work-related cancers and diseases such as COPD. The latest projections suggest that there will be around 2,5000 mesothelioma-related death per year for the rest of this decade, before numbers begin to decline.
Injuries and workplace risks
- 142 workers were killed at work, a rate of 0.46 fatalities per 100,000 workers. This compares to an average rate of 0.53 for the previous five years.
- The highest rates of injury in the workplace came from industrial sectors, including construction, agriculture, and waste; while the most common kinds of accidents were caused by slips and trips, handling, lifting, carrying and being struck by moving objects.
- 76,000 other injuries to employees were reported under RIDDOR, a rate of 293 per 100,000 employees.
Working days lost
27.3 million days were lost due to work-related ill health or injury – this averages out at 15 days per case. Out of these, 23.3 million days were lost due to work-related ill health and 4.1 million due to workplace injury.
Economic cost to Britain
Workplace injuries and ill health had a negative impact on the British economy, costing society an estimated £14.3 billion in 2013/14. This estimated cost has generally fallen over the last 10 years but shows signs of leveling off more recently.
For more details on any of the above, you can read the full HSE Report 2015.
Ensure optimum health and safety with Browns training courses
At Browns, we’re well aware of high-risk activities and dangers in the workplace. That’s exactly why we’ve developed a range of training courses to protect against dangers. Our courses tackle the issues defined in the latest HSE report and include:
- Work at Height Training Course
- Manual Handling Training
- UKATA Asbestos Awareness Training
- Legionella Awareness Training Course
To find out more about any of the training courses mentioned today, give our course enquiries team a call on 01282 615517. Our team will be able to give you more details on each of our courses, and secure your place if you wish to book in.
