From the organisers of the Natural Stone Show

 

 

 
Health, Safety, Ethical & Environmental

Construction death toll 35 last year – HSE
, By Eric Bignell

There were 35 fatal injuries in contruction in 2013/14, according to figures published today (1 July) by the Health & Safety Executive.

Construction still accounts for the highest number of workplace deaths in the UK, but only because it employs so many people.

As a proportion of the number of people employed, agriculture is the most dangerious sector to work in, with 9.12 deaths per 100,000 workers, then waste & recycling at a rate of 4.31. That compares with construction's rate of 1.62 deaths per 100,000 workers.

The figures, which are still provisional for now, show work-related fatal accidents in Great Britain’s workplaces little changed from previous years, sustaining a long term trend that has seen the rate of fatalities more than halve over the past 20 years.

There were 142 workers fatally injured between April 2014 and March 2015 (an overall rate of 0.46 fatalities per 100,000 workers). This compares with last year’s all-time low of 136 (0.45 fatalities per 100,000 workers). Fatal injuries at work are thankfully rare events and, as a consequence, the annual figures are subject to chance variation.

The statistics again confirm the UK to be one of the safest places in Europe to work. However, HSE’s Chair, Judith Hackitt, says: “Every fatality is a tragic event and our commitment to preventing loss of life in the workplace remains unaltered. All workplace fatalities drive HSE to develop even more effective interventions to reduce death, injury and ill health.”

HSE has also released the latest available figures on deaths from asbestos-related cancer. Mesothelioma, one of the few work related diseases where deaths can be counted directly, contracted through past exposure to asbestos killed 2,538 in Great Britain in 2013 compared to 2,548 in 2012.

A more detailed assessment of the data will be provided as part of the annual Health and Safety Statistics release at the end of October. As this draws on HSE’s full range of sources, including changes in non-fatal injuries and health trends, and will provide a richer picture on trends.