11/01/2016
The latest statistics to be published by the HSE show a continuing, positive trend in health and safety in the workplace.
In 2014/15, 142 people were killed in workplace accidents. This was slightly up from 133 in 2013/14, but down on the previous three years prior to this.
The UK Continues to be a Safe Place to Work
The latest figures show a continuation of the downward trend over the past twenty years with regards to workplace fatalities. The UK is one of the safest countries to be an employee in Europe, and this report shows that health and safety are taken very seriously by UK employers.
Although the most dangerous industries to work in are still agriculture and construction, both of these groups show a decrease in the rate of fatalities compared to the five-year average.
Comparing the UK’s Health and Safety to the Rest of Europe
Based on the 2014/15 statistics, the UK has 0.46 fatalities per 100,000 workers. Although any workplace death is a devastating tragedy for both the company involved and the family of the deceased, this is an enviable rate compared to the rest of the EU. All four leading industrial nations in Europe have higher rates of fatalities than the UK, (Germany 0.9, France 2.64, Spain 1.99 and Italy 1.29 per 100,000 workers).
These statistics should be extremely encouraging to employers, and show that whilst there is plenty of room for improvement, most workers in the UK can take comfort in the fact that they will return home from work safe and sound at the end of the day.
Fisher Scoggins Waters are a London based law firm who are experts in construction, manufacturing and engineering matters. If you have recently had a health and safety incident occur in your workplace and require legal advice, please phone us on 0207 993 6960.