Health & Safety statistics are now released by the HSE to show the latest Health & Safety statistics and the full details are available from their website. The basic data is as follows.
Ill health
1.2 million people who worked during the last year were suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by their work, of which 0.5 million were new conditions that started during the year.
A further 0.8 million former workers (who last worked over 12 months ago) were suffering from an illness which was caused or made worse by their past work.
2,538 people died from mesothelioma in 2013 and thousands more from other work-related cancers and diseases such as COPD.
Injuries
142 workers were killed at work, a rate of 0.46 fatalities per 100,000 workers.
76,000 other injuries to employees were reported under RIDDOR, a rate of 293 per 100,000 employees.
611,000 injuries occurred at work according to the Labour Force Survey, of which 152,000 led to over-7-days absence, with rates of 2,030 and 500 per 100,000 workers respectively.
Workplace risks
‘Dealing with difficult customers, patients, pupils etc.’ and ‘lifting or moving people or heavy loads’ were the two most common self- reported risk factors in the workplace, in a 2014 survey of workplaces.
Working days lost
27.3 million days were lost due to work-related ill health or injury
(15 days per case).
23.3 million days were lost due to work-related ill health and
4.1 million due to workplace injury.
Economic costs to Britain
Injuries and new cases of ill health resulting largely from current working conditions cost society an estimated £14.3 billion in 2013/14 (based on 2013 prices).
Enforcement
586 cases were prosecuted by HSE in England and Wales.
70 cases were prosecuted by Local authorities in England and Wales. 72 cases were prosecuted by the Procurator Fiscal in Scotland. 12,430 enforcement notices were issued by all enforcing authorities.
More information can be found on the HSE website www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh1415.pdf