HSC PUBLISHES HEALTH AND SAFETY STATISTICS FOR 2002/03

HSC press release C066:03 19 November 2003

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has today published the latest statistics on workplace safety, work-related ill-health and enforcement action in Great Britain. Health and Safety Statistics Highlights 2002/03 presents the top-level statistics - including reports on progress against the targets set in the Revitalising Health and Safety strategy - while more detailed data and commentary are available on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/statistics. The Highlights document itself is at www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh0203.pdf. (Other statistics have been published earlier in the year: please see Notes to editors.)

Workplace fatality and injury

For workplace injuries, the new figures include 2002/03 data on non-fatal injuries notified by employers and others under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), supplemented by injury statistics from 2001/02 from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). The RIDDOR and LFS sources jointly give the picture on trends in rates of non-fatal injury. The LFS rates of reportable injury are not subject to the under-reporting which affects the statistics and trends of injuries collected through RIDDOR.

The main features of the injuries statistics are:

Fatal Injuries

• The number of fatalities to workers decreased by 10% to 226 in 2002/03 from 251 in 2001/02. The rate of fatal injury also fell by 10% to 0.79 from 0.88 (per hundred thousand workers). The figure had risen by around 30% in 2000/01 and then fell by 23% in the next two years to 2002/03. The rate of worker fatal injury is now at the same level as three years ago, and is around a third of that recorded in 1981.
• The number of fatal injuries to members of the public decreased by one to 392 in 2002/03. Approximately two-thirds of these were due to acts of suicide or trespass on railway systems. There were 91 non-railway fatal injuries to members of the public. Of these, 80 were in the services industries of which 45 were in health and social work.
  

Reported non-fatal injuries

• The rate of reported major injury to employees increased by 1.9% in 2002/03 to 113.0, although it is 3% lower than in 1999/2000.
• The rate of reported over-3-day injury to employees fell by 2.4% to 501.1 from 513.5.
  

Labour Force Survey (LFS)

• The LFS rates of reportable injury are given as three-year averages to smooth sampling fluctuations.
• The averaged LFS rate of reportable injury in 2001/02 was 1510 (per hundred thousand workers).
• Between 1994/95 and 1998/99, the averaged LFS rate of reportable injury fell by 14%. Since then, the rate has fluctuated about 1500 injuries per hundred thousand workers.
  

Reporting levels

• The rate of reported employee non-fatal (major plus over-3-day) injury was 624 in 2001/02, suggesting that employers report about 41% of reportable injuries to their employees. The rate of reported non-fatal injury to self-employed people was 55.3 in 2001/02 and indicates that self-employed people report less than 4% of reportable injuries.
• The rate of employee reported non-fatal (major plus over-3-day) injury fell by 7% between 1994/95 and 1998/99 but unlike the LFS rate, has continued to fall by a further 11% from 1998/99 to 2002/03. This reduction, together with the levelling-off of the averaged LFS rate suggests that reporting levels have declined since 1998/99.

Work-related ill health

The statistics on work-related ill health are derived from a number of different sources. They draw on surveillance data from specialist doctors in The Health and Occupation Reporting network (THOR, formerly known as ODIN), claims for disablement benefit under the Department for Work and Pensions' Industrial Injuries Scheme (IIS), and deaths from mesothelioma and other occupational diseases, as well as the previously published results of the Self-reported Work-related Illness Survey (SWI) 2001/02.

The main features of the ill health statistics are:

• Overall self-reported work-related ill health prevalence in Great Britain stood at 2.3 million people in 2001/02, accounting for 33 million working days lost.
• Musculoskeletal disorders (such as back pain and upper limb disorders) were the most commonly reported work-related illness, with an estimated 1.1 million people affected, followed by stress, depression or anxiety, with over half a million.
• Males accounted for more of the prevalence and the working days lost than females, and had a higher prevalence rate (as a percentage of people who had ever worked).
• Occupation groups with the highest overall self-reported prevalence rates in 2001/02 (where sample numbers were large enough to provide reliable estimates) included protective services (e.g. police), health and social welfare associate professionals (e.g. nurses), skilled construction and building trades, and teaching and research professionals.
• The latest figures from various data sources show a mixed picture for specific types of work-related illness: for example the numbers of deaths from mesothelioma and of new disablement benefit cases of asbestosis continue to rise, reflecting past exposures to asbestos, while specialist doctor surveillance data for occupational asthma indicate a possible decrease in incidence in the last three years. (For trends in musculoskeletal disorders and stress, please see under 'Priority Programmes' below.)

Revitalising Health and Safety targets

The statistics on health and safety at work inform the measurement of progress against the targets for reducing work-related injuries, ill health and working days lost set in the Revitalising Health and Safety strategy. HSE's approach to progress measurement is detailed in a Statistical Note published in June 2001. Among other things, this states that progress will be assessed from trends estimated in statistical models, and that, for ill health, existing data sources will need to be refined and new ones developed, with a judgement on progress being made by integrating data from several of them. At this stage, it is not possible to make a full assessment of progress, but the following can be said with respect to the three targets.

Incidence rate of fatal and major injury

• The target is to reduce the indicator by 10% in the ten years to 2009/10 and by 5% by 2004/05.
• The indicator includes an up-rating for the under-reporting of major injuries, and therefore depends heavily on estimates of the level of major injury reporting.
• Whilst the rate of reported over-3-day injury to employees has fallen, the rate of employee reported major injury has risen in the two years to 2002/03, indicating a change in the relationship of reported major and over-3-day injuries. This change may reflect a genuine change in the occurrence of major injuries or that employers are maintaining (or improving) the reporting of major injuries, but not that of over-3-day injuries.
• To allow for these changes in the rate of reported major injury relative to the rate of reported over-3-day injury to employees, a revision was made in 2002/03 to the methodology used for the calculation of the estimate of major injury reporting used in the indicator for this target. This revision was also applied retrospectively to 2001/02, and should be regarded as provisional, pending further work to validate its underlying assumptions.
• For 2002/03, the un-revised indicator shows a rise of 5.7% from 1999/2000, the base year. On a revised basis, the indicator falls by 3.8%. Both these estimates are subject to statistical uncertainty of plus or minus 5 to 6 percentage points.
• These alternative estimates represent two interpretations of the relative changes in the rates of reported major and over-3-day injury. If the change in the pattern of reported major injuries reflects a genuine change in their occurrence, this implies a rise in the rate of all major injury. If employers are maintaining the reporting of major injuries but not that of over-3-day injuries, then the 3% reduction since the base year in rate of reported major injury reflects a genuine reduction in the rate of all major injury. There is insufficient evidence to choose confidently between these alternatives and the true position is likely to lie somewhere in-between, leading to the conclusion that there is no clear evidence of change, which is also in line with the flat trend in the LFS.
• HSE will be undertaking further analysis and commissioning research on the reporting of major injuries.

Incidence rate of cases of work-related ill health

• The target is to reduce the incidence rate (new cases) by 20% in the ten years to 2009/10, and by 10% by 2004/05.
• The balance of evidence suggests that the overall incidence of work-related ill health is likely to have risen since 1999/2000.
• This is essentially because the latest information suggests work-related stress is rising, while musculoskeletal disorders - the other major cause of ill health - shows no change (though there is some evidence of improved risk control). A reduction in asthma, and hints of a reduction in dermatitis, are not enough to offset the stress increase.
• This judgement on progress involves integrating data from several different sources, using newly developed methods that are presented here for the first time and on a provisional basis.

Number of working days lost per 100 000 workers from work-related injury and ill health

• The target is to reduce the rate per 100 000 workers by 30% in the ten years to 2009/10, and by 15% by 2004/05.
• There are no new data this year. The latest information from self-reporting surveys, published in last year's Highlights, estimates that there were 40.2 million days lost per year in 2000/02, the base year.
• The next estimate of days lost will be for 2003/04 and will be available in a progress report in Autumn 2004.

Priority Programmes

The statistics also provide information on the eight Priority Programmes identified by the Health and Safety Commission.

Agriculture

• In 2002/03, there were 36 worker fatalities, compared with 39 in 2001/02. However, the rate of worker fatality increased to 9.5 from 9.2 in 2001/02 primarily as a result of a fall in the number of people working in the agriculture industry. The rate of fatal injury to workers has fluctuated over the 1990s, with no overall trend. The LFS rate of reportable non-fatal injury has risen overall by 22% since 1996/97, although there was a slight decrease in 2001/02. The rate of reported non-fatal injury to employees has fluctuated over the same period. There is no real evidence of progress in either rates of fatality or rates of non-fatal injury.
• The available data on ill health (ascribed to the current or most recent job in the last eight years) show that agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing had a self-reported prevalence rate in 2001/02 of 6500 per 100 000 people working in the last 8 years, statistically significantly above the average for all industries.

Construction

• In 2002/03, there were 71 worker fatalities. The rate of worker fatal injury fell for the second consecutive year in 2002/03, but had risen in the two year-period from 1998/99 to 2000/01. The LFS rate of reportable injury has fluctuated with small changes from 1996/97 to 2001/02. Over the same period, the rate of reported non-fatal injury to employees has fallen, suggesting that the level of reporting has declined. The last two years have seen a reduction in the rate of fatal injury, but there appears to be little progress in the rate of non-fatal injury.
• The available data on ill health (ascribed to the current or most recent job in the last eight years) show that construction had a self-reported prevalence rate in 2001/02 of 5600 per 100 000 people working in the last 8 years, statistically significantly above the average for all industries.

Health Services

• In health services there have been three fatal injuries to workers since 1996/97. The LFS rate of reportable injury has fallen by 26% from 1996/97 to 2001/02 and the rate of reported non-fatal injury to employees has fallen by 24% over the same period, although there was a small increase in 2001/02. There has been a general downward trend in the rate of non-fatal injury in health services since 1996/97.
• The available data on ill health (ascribed to the current or most recent job in the last eight years) show that health and social work (a somewhat broader category than health services) had a self-reported prevalence rate in 2001/02 of 5200 per 100 000 people working in the last 8 years, statistically significantly above the average for all industries.

Falling from a height

• Falling from a height is the most common kind of fatal injury to workers, accounting for 22% of all fatalities in 2002/03. In 2002/03, falling from a height also accounted for 14% of employee major injuries and 3% of employee over-3-day injuries.
• In 2001/02, HSE introduced new guidelines to clarify the distinction between a fall from a height and a slip or trip on the level. After allowing for the effect of the guidelines, the number of high falls (over 2m) has declined since 1999/2000, while the number of low falls (up to and including 2m) remains steady.

Slipping and tripping

• Slipping and tripping remains the most common kind of employee major injury, accounting for 37% of all major injuries to employees in 2002/03. Both the number and rate of slipping and tripping have increased gradually since 1996/97.
• Slipping and tripping is the second most common kind of employee over-3-day injury accounting for 24% of all over-3-day injuries to employees in 2002/03.

Being struck by a moving vehicle

• In 2002/03 being struck by a moving vehicle accounted for 39 worker fatalities (17% of the total), 2% of employee major injuries and 2% of employee over-3-day injuries.
• The number and percentage share of both major and over-3-day injuries to employees as a result of being struck by a moving vehicle have fallen since 1999/2000.

Musculoskeletal disorders

• In 2001/02, an estimated 1 126 000 people in Great Britain suffered from a musculoskeletal disorder which, in their opinion, was caused or made worse by their current or past work.
• Numbers of new cases of work-related musculoskeletal disorders seen by specialist doctors have been fairly stable in recent years. The available data from self-reporting surveys, which have more complete coverage but give less frequent and up-to-date estimates, also show no fall in the numbers.

Work-related stress

• The 2001/02 survey of Self-reported Work-related Illness gave a prevalence estimate of over half a million people in Britain who believed they were experiencing work-related stress at a level that was making them ill.
• Both survey and specialist doctor data suggest that new cases of work-related stress have been increasing in the recent past. It is too early to say whether the small fall in specialist doctor cases this year represents a change in trend.

Enforcement

For enforcement activities, the key figures are:

• In 2002/03 HSE issued 13,263 enforcement notices, an increase of 20% on the figure for 2001/02. The number of enforcement notices issued by HSE dropped in the early 1990s but has risen since then.
• In 2001/02, the most recent year for which local authority data are available, local authorities issued 5960 enforcement notices, an increase of 3% on the figure for 2000/01. The number of enforcement notices issued by local authorities fell in the early 1990s, and has fluctuated since then.
• In 2002/03, there were 1688 informations laid by HSE, a decrease of 15% on the previous year.
• In 2001/02, there were 325 informations laid by local authorities, a decrease of 19% on the figure for 2000/01. The number of information laid by local authorities has fallen steadily since 1997/98.
• In 2002/03, in HSE enforced areas, there were six fines in excess of £100 000. For the remaining fines, the average penalty per conviction was £5491, a slight increase on the corresponding figure for 2001/02 of £5468.
• In 2001/02, in local authority enforced areas, the average penalty per conviction was £3134, a reduction of 10% on the figure for the previous year. There were no unusually large fines.

Notes to editors

1 From 1992/93 to 2000/01, statistics relating to health and safety at work were published in an annual volume Health and Safety Statistics and the Health and Safety Commission's Annual Report. For the first time in 2001/02, the top-level statistics were released in a slim document and the details, together with supplementary information, were made available simultaneously on the HSE website. Health and Safety Statistics Highlights 2002/03 is the second publication in this format.

2 As well as giving data for Great Britain, the statistics released today include figures for Scotland, Wales and the regions of England. Statistics Briefings for each of these are available on the website at www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/regions/index.htm.

3 The Revitalising Health and Safety strategy statement, launched by the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chair of the Health and Safety Commission in June 2000, set national targets to reduce the incidence rate of fatal and major injuries, the incidence rate of work-related ill health and the rate of working days lost from work-related injury and ill health. The targets relating to ill health are also featured in Securing Health Together: A long-term occupational health strategy for Great Britain, launched by the Health and Safety Commission and Executive, in association with other government departments, in July 2000.

4 New arrangements for National Statistics were also launched by the government in July 2000, to enhance the integrity and quality of official statistics. The National Statistics 'badge', which is on Health and Safety Statistics Highlights 2002/03 and this press release, means that the statistics concerned must be produced to high professional standards, subject to regular quality assurance reviews and free from political interference. To achieve this, the National Statistics arrangements include an independent Statistics Commission, a Code of Practice (released in October 2002) and mechanisms for consultation with stakeholders.

Copies of Health and Safety Statistics Highlights 2002/03 are available online at www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh0203.pdf.

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