Figures recently published by the Health and Safety Executive have confirmed that 135 employees sadly lost their lives at work within the United Kingdom between 2022 and 2023, an increase of 12 from the previous year.
The statistics highlight that the industries most impacted by work-related deaths were construction, which accounted for 45 out of the total figure (33%), agriculture, forestry and fishing (15%), manufacturing (11%) and transportation and storage (11%).
Despite this, agriculture, forestry and fishing had the highest rate of deaths per 100,000 workers, with the waste and recycling industry featuring in second place.
When the circumstances were considered, falling from height was found to be the most common cause totalling 40 deaths (30%), followed by being struck by a moving object (21%) and being struck by a moving vehicle sat in third place (15)%.
Our thoughts
Whilst no person should lose their life at work, it is comforting to note that the annual number of fatal accidents at work has decreased over time and it is understood that overall the United Kingdom is one of the safest countries to work in, when figures from other countries are compared.
To prevent such tragedies from occurring, companies should ensure that their staff members receive regular and thorough training and they are supplied with adequate safety and protective equipment, including hard hats, steel toe caps and fall restraints (where applicable), which should be the correct size and free from faults.
In addition, every employee should hold a suitable licence before operating any vehicle and construction workers should have a valid CSCS card before commencing their employment.
If you do have any concerns regarding your employer’s health and safety practices or if you have unfortunately suffered an injury at work, please contact a member of our team who will be happy to discuss this with you.
Further reading:
Accidents at work – Oakwood Solicitors
WHAT TO DO NEXT
If you have any questions about this employee injury case study or wish to submit a claim for compensation, please get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation with our Employers’ and Public Liability team.
Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page, or call us on 0113 200 9720 to find out how we can help you.
Alex Singleton joined Oakwood Solicitors in April 2021 as an experienced Paralegal, having worked in Personal Injury since 2018. Currently, Alex works in the Employers’ Liability and Public Liabilit…
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