226 WORK DEATHS LAST YEAR

HSC press release C038:03 - 29 July 2003

Bill Callaghan, Chair of the 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.

Bill Callaghan commented "The accident statistics give us some grounds for optimism - but no room for complacency."

"It is an encouraging sign that we are heading in the right direction on reducing deaths at work and major injuries but 226 deaths also represent continuing failure. Worker fatalities are a blemish on a civilised society. They mark a failure of a basic human right - to have our health and safety protected.

"Nor should we forget what these figures do not show us - the toll of those who are killed through unhealthy working conditions. 6,000 people die each year from work-related cancers. It is a warning that even though we must tackle fatal accidents, we must continue to be vigilant about other dangers such as asbestos.

"Deaths caused by falls from height continue to dominate these figures. Along with moving vehicles and moving or falling objects, they still remain the most common cause of death at work. And they illustrate once again that we and the Government are right to concentrate on these priority areas.

"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 - and 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.

"Similarly, falls from height are particularly prevalent both in the service industries and in manufacturing. But we are on the case. Among a range of initiatives we have developed a maintenance fitters project in response to detailed analysis of previous accident statistics showing that maintenance and electrical fitters are two groups of workers at significant risk of death or injury due to falls from height. A toolbox talk containing information about ladder safety was distributed via UCATT (Union of Construction Allied Trades Technicians), Amicus-AEEU and the Electrical Contractors Association. This pilot is now being assessed as a way of improving the health and safety of maintenance and electrical fitters. And such initiatives will be supported by the introduction, next year, of the Work at Height Regulations.

"Contrary to recent reports, the HSC has yet to consider how to transpose the European directive into British law but I can assure you that our approach will be proportionate and based on goal setting.

"But, irrespective of where fatalities occur, for the most part there's no great mystery to why they occur - it's just a failure to do the simple things well - to assess the risks, control those risks and make sure that workers are properly instructed and protected. Even so, putting matters right is easier said than done - and unless we work together, with the support of employers, employees and their safety representatives, we won't secure the improvements we need.

"Of course, all these initiatives - training, design, guidance - will only really work if there is a real health and safety culture in the business. And that means senior managers and directors showing by the way they work that health and safety is a priority in their business. So I continue to ask business - does one of the directors have a responsibility for health and safety? Is health and safety on every board agenda? Do the board clearly communicate essential health and safety messages?"

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