Major Injuries Hit all Time Low in UK

The UK has long been internationally regarded as setting the standard in health and safety management and 2012/13 figures released by the HSE clearly show a declining trend in the number of work-related injuries.

Work-related accident figures released by the HSE reveal a declining trend in the number of people killed or injured whilst at work since 1996 - figures are represented per 100,000 people in work.

Key findings:

• In 2012/13 there were 78,222 reported non-fatal injuries to employees. The corresponding rate was 311.6 per 100,000.
• Of these, 19,707 were reported major injuries, with a rate of 78.5 per 100,000. The most common kinds of accident involved slips or trips (43%), and falls from a height (13%).
• There were 58,515 reported over-7-day injuries, with a corresponding rate of 233.1. Of these injuries, the most common kinds of accident were caused by handling, lifting or carrying (27%), and slips or trips (26%).
• The legal reporting requirement changed in April 2012, from over-3-days’ incapacitation to over-7-days. It is estimated that the change in reporting has resulted in a rate of reported over-7-day injury that is 29% lower than the over-3-day injury rate. There is no indication that the change affected the reporting of major injury.

Chair of the HSE’s Judith Hackitt said:

"This year’s figures demonstrate that Britain continues to improve its health and safety performance, with important falls in the number of workers fatally injured and the number of employees suffering major injuries. But we still see too many deaths and injuries occur in the workplace, many of which could have been prevented through simple safety measures."

Steve Terry, Managing Director at Astutis commented:

"As employers, we are obliged to provide a safe working environment for our staff. Ensuring that the correct systems are in place to mitigate the risk inherent in workplace activities is essential to ensuring legal and regulatory compliance. Auditing and providing the right training for staff reveals a clear committment to wellbeing that can be seen in the bottom-line of any business over time."

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