August 18, 2003—The UK’s Health and Safety Commission has given a cautious welcome to the latest workplace fatalities statistics, which show a 10% reduction in the number of deaths at work last year. New HSE statistics report that 226 people were killed at work in 2002-03, 25 fewer than in the previous year, and the second year in which the rate of worker fatal injury has fallen. It is the lowest rate recorded, and part of an overall downward trend stretching back some 20 years.
Deaths caused by falls from height continue to dominate these figures, says the HSC. Along with moving vehicles and moving or falling objects, they still remain the most common cause of death at work and form the highest priority in British Government safety programs.
Seventy-one workers were killed in the construction industry last year (2002-03), the second lowest figure recorded. This is a fall from 80 fatalities in 2001-02 and 105 fatalities in 2000-01. The rate of fatal injuries to workers also fell, with a drop of 9% to 4.0 per 100,000 workers in 2002-03, also the second lowest on record.
A breakdown of the 71 fatal injuries in the construction industry that occurred in 2002-03 indicates that falls from height remain the single biggest cause of death (47%), followed by struck by an object – other than a vehicle (15%), electricity (10%), transport (7%), collapse (7%) and other kinds (10%). This breakdown of type of injury is consistent with previous years, although there has been a slight rise in the number of electrical accidents.
Workplace transport accidents are a particular issue for the service industries, where 20 workers were killed in 2002-03 after being struck by a moving vehicle. The HSE is working on a range of initiatives with a view to improving driver training, improving site design, and setting new standards for the design of vehicles.
Free copies of Statistics of Fatal Injuries 2002/03 can be ordered from the Safety and Enforcement Statistics Unit, Health and Safety Executive, Room 403, Daniel House, Bootle, Merseyside L20 7HE, tel: 0151 951 3864/4600, fax: 0152 951 3827. The book is also available online from HSE Statistics (PDF file)
.
