Workplace Accidents Abroad – It’s not just Britain!

Over the last few weeks, I have written articles on fatalities and the issues and risks employees face in the workplace.

My last two articles dealt with a fatality in a greenhouse and on a building site.  This recent article on 24/7 Wall Street makes it clear that it is not just in this country that workers face dangers through working with heavy machinery and in perilous locations, including the ‘remote wilderness’.

Whilst areas of remote wilderness are not as prolific in the UK, statistics released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for the year 2019 show that ‘Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing’ had the highest number of fatalities, two more than in Construction. Of those fatalities, 73% were between the ages of 16–59.

Falls from height were the greatest cause, causing 40 deaths, with ‘being struck by a moving vehicle’ causing 30 deaths in 2019.

The article on 24/7 Wall Street also refers to the fact that a lot of the professions that cause these fatalities are not highly paid. This raises the question of whether this is an issue in the UK.

The HSE statistics refer to the fact that Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing and Waste and recycling show a rate of injury some 17 – 18 times as high as the average across all industries respectively.

If you work in any area where you feel at risk of injury, or even death, it is important that your concerns are voiced and that preventative action is taken.  Never ignore unsafe work practices or dangerous actions taken by fellow employees.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

If you, or anyone you know, has been affected or injured by working in an unsafe environment, please do not hesitate to contact Beverley Barker in our Employers and Public Liability (EL/PL) department on 0113 200 9758.