The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, recently released annual data revealing important insights into occupational safety within Great Britain. The annual data published earlier this month (Thursday July 6) reveals that a total of 135 workers tragically lost their lives to work-related incidents in the past year alone. These statistics, part of an annual release by the HSE, cover the period between April 2022 to March 2023.
A closer look at industry-specific statistics shows that certain sectors reported a notably higher rate of incidents. Within these sectors, construction recorded the highest number with 45 fatalities, while agriculture, forestry, and fishing saw 21 incidents. Both the manufacturing and transportation and storage sectors reported 15 fatalities each.
When considering data adjusted for the number of workers in each sector, agriculture, forestry, and fishing had the most substantial rate of fatal injury per 100,000 workers, closely followed by waste and recycling.
The HSE statistics also show that 2,268 people died from Mesothelioma, a cancer caused by past exposure to asbestos, in 2021. While the number of deaths has declined by 302 compared with the 2570 deaths in 2020, it is thought that 5000 people a year die from past exposure to asbestos and asbestos related diseases. The HSE is committed to helping tradespeople avoid exposure and highlight the risks it involves. The workplace regulator has recently launched a campaign called Asbestos & You to raise awareness of the risks associated with the dangerous substance. Find out more about HSE’s Asbestos and You campaign.
This data serves as an important reminder of the ongoing emphasis on safety regulations within workplaces across Great Britain.
Sarah Albon, HSE’s Chief Executive said: “Any loss of life in the workplace is a tragedy.
“While these figures show Great Britain is one of the safest countries in the world to work, safety must continue to be at the top of everyone’s agenda.
“Our mission is to protect people and places and we remain committed to maintaining safe workplaces and holding employers to account for their actions.”
- Read full statistics here.
- Further details on the latest work-related fatal injuries: Statistics – Work-related fatal injuries in Great Britain (hse.gov.uk)
- Mesothelioma statistics: Mesothelioma statistics for Great Britain, 2023 (hse.gov.uk)
Solicitor for Accident at Work
Ensuring that a workplace is adequately assessed for health and safety hazards is essential. Failure to do so can result in serious injury or death in the most severe circumstances. All employers have a legal responsibility to ensure that their employees are safe at work, and there are strict guidelines that must be followed regarding health and safety standards.
For any personal injury claim, you must seek the appropriate advice to ensure you have the best opportunity to obtain compensation.
At Bridge McFarland LLP, we work with clients nationwide. We are here to advise you on the prospects of recovering compensation from an employer if an accident at work has occurred, including, Asbestos and Mesothelioma Claims, Agricultural Accidents and Serious and Catastrophic Injury.
To speak to one of our experienced solicitors about your workplace injury claim, please call 0800 987 8800 or email enquiries@bmcf.co.uk.
