August 22, 2001—A preliminary report published by the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for the year 2000/01 indicates an increase in fatalities among Britain’s workers and a decrease in reported non-fatal major injuries. The HSE reported a 34% increase in fatalities, with 295 deaths between April 2000 and March 2001, compared to 220 deaths from April 1999 to March 2000. The figures show that of the 295 fatalities, 106 occurred in the construction industry and 46 in agriculture.
Over the same period, the number of reported non-fatal major injuries to workers has fallen by 4.7% from 29,315 to 27,935, with the employee rate falling by 5.4%. UK Health and Safety Commission (HSC) Chairman Bill Callaghan commented that he is pleased to see the non-fatal injury rates continue to decline, but is concerned by the possibility that this may be at least partly due to an increase in under-reporting by employers.
The HSE has commissioned research that will look very closely at the contributing causes to this year’s upturn in fatalities, as well as those for the reduction in reported non-fatal injuries. Chairman Callaghan is particularly concerned about the construction industry, where on average there are two deaths every week, and the fatality rate of six per every 100,000 workers is now the highest in 10 years.
Callaghan and the Deputy Prime Minister launched the Revitalizing Health and Safety initiative in June 2000 to set national improvement targets for health and safety at work, focusing on the main causes of fatalities and the worst-offending sectors of industry. Callaghan says that most workplace fatalities are preventable, and that employers are primarily responsible for the health and safety of their workers.
Copies of the Safety Statistics Bulletin 2000/01 (C65), can be ordered online from HSE Books. The Bulletin is also available online from HSE in PDF format.
