Working days lost down by a quarter

C027:06 2 November 2006

Statistics published today by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) reveal that the number of working days lost in Great Britain due to work-related injury and ill health fell from 40 million in 2000/02 to 30 million working days in 2005/06.

Today's figures show the latest progress against ten-year targets to improve national health and safety performance by 2010. Progress to reduce ill health by 20 per cent is on track to meet the target, and reducing working days lost by 30 per cent is probably also on track. Fatal and major injuries also fell in 2005/06, though progress is not presently on track to meet the reduction target of ten per cent.

Ill health accounted for around 24 million working days lost. Stress and musculoskeletal disorders were by far the most common causes of absence, making up around three quarters of this figure.

HSC Chair Bill Callaghan said: " I'm delighted that the statistics released today demonstrate improvements across all three of our target areas of ill health, injury and days lost. This is testament to the determination and commitment of staff across HSE and in Local Authorities to concentrate their efforts on those risks that matter. Since the start of the decade there has been a drop of over nine million working days lost . That is a success by any means.

"The good news in these statistics has to be counter balanced by the challenges we face; the outcome of the next spending review; achieving the most effective balance of interventions between paid publicity, inspection, stakeholder work and enforcement; the changing nature of workplace risks and the time it takes for our interventions and partnership working to bear fruit."

Reported non-fatal major injuries to workers fell for the second year in a row to just under 30,000, a drop of six percent on 2004/05. Agriculture and construction remain the two most hazardous industries, with average rates of self-reported non-fatal injuries to workers over the past three years of 2,020 and 1,790 per 100,000 respectively.

Today's report contains figures for enforcement notices issued, and prosecutions taken, by HSE and Local Authority inspectors. Both have decreased in the last two years.

Commenting on the figures, HSE Chief Executive Geoffrey Podger said: "I understand the concerns regarding the fall in enforcement and we have recently undertaken an audit of our enforcement activity, which has shown areas for improvement. Initial data for 2006/07 leads us to believe that the fall in enforcement has been significantly reversed and we will continue to monitor this closely."

The full report, Health and safety statistics 2005/06, can be found at: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh0506.pdf [PDF 517kb]

Notes to editors

1. The figures for working days lost and occupational ill health are largely drawn from surveys, and so are subject to potential error from surveying a sample rather than the whole population. This is why the assessment of progress on working days lost is given in terms of probabilities: looking at the 95% confidence interval, it is probable that the day lost per worker is on track to meet the target.
2. The figures relating to prosecutions are for cases heard by courts in Great Britain between April 2005 and March 2006. These cases may relate to informations laid in earlier reporting years.
3. HSC published its Strategy for workplace health and safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond on 23 February 2004. The strategy aims to promote a vision of health and safety as a cornerstone of a civilised society and to achieve a record of workplace health and safety that leads the world. The strategy is available at: www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/strategiesandplans/strategy.htm
4. 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 HSE, in association with other government departments, in July 2000.
5. A statistical press release for the report has also been issued this is available on the HSE website: www.hse.gov.uk/press/press.htm

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