The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) presented the annual statistics regarding fatal injuries in the workplace for 2015/16 on 5th July 2016.
The update provided:
- A provisional figure suggesting that 144 people were fatally injured at work in 2015/16; this corresponds to a rate of fatal injury of 0.46 deaths per 100,000 workers. The figure is lower than the average for the last 5 years but regrettably still indicates that too many people are being killed or seriously injured as a result of their employment.
- In addition 103 members of the public were fatally injured in accidents connected to work in 2015/16.
It should also be noted that the work-related deaths referred to above do not include statistics for:
- Fatal diseases
- Fatal accidents on non-rail transport systems.
Mesothelioma, the Asbestos related cancer, is one of the few examples where deaths due to occupational diseases can be counted directly. The report indicates that there were 2,515 such deaths in 2014, whereas deaths from other diseases are usually estimated by the HSE as opposed to being counted. The HSE estimate that in addition to the fatal injury statistics noted above that approximately 13,000 deaths each year from occupational lung disease and cancer are caused as a result of past exposure at work. This exposure is primarily caused by chemicals and dust at work and includes the mesothelioma deaths.
Fatal accidents involving workers travelling on a public highway, air or sea are reported to the Department for Transport and are also excluded from the recent HSE update.
Wales had the highest rate per 100,000 at 0.93 deaths.
For a detailed review of the report please visit: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatals.htm
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