New year, renewed call to reduce workplace death and injury in County Durham

Date:

31 December 2010

Release No:

NE/304/10

Employers in County Durham are being urged to start the new year with a stronger commitment to health and safety.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) warning comes after the number of work-related fatalities in County Durham rose.

According to figures released for 2009/10, there were two fatal injuries, compared to none the previous year. There were 320 major workplace injuries in County Durham, down 31 from the previous year.

There were 1,251 major workplace injuries recorded in the North East last year compared to 1,410 in 2008/9 and three deaths - six fewer than the previous year.

Chris Gillies, Principal Inspector for HSE in the North East, previous year.

"Employers have a legal duty to protect their workers and I would encourage them to make it a new year resolution to ensure they continue to do all they can. The national fall in numbers of workers killed or injured through their work is encouraging but we must also remember that each death results in a family missing a loved one this festive season.

"Employers cannot get complacent; they must stay vigilant and learn the lessons from the past to ensure they protect their workers in the future. Putting in place simple, straightforward, health and safety measures can saves lives. It is not good for companies or employees if workers can't go to work through an injury or ill-health."

Notes to editors

1. HSE publishes a full range of workplace health and safety statistics. These can be viewed at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/index.htm
2. The reporting of health and safety incidents at work is a statutory requirement, set out under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR). A reportable incident includes: a death or major injury; any accident which does not result in major injury, but the injured person still has to take three or more consecutive days off their normal work to recover; a work-related disease; a member of the public being injured as a result of work-related activity and taken to hospital for treatment; or a dangerous occurrence (which does not result in a serious injury, but could have done).
3. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce work-related death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice; promoting training; new or revised regulations and codes of practice; and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement. www.hse.gov.uk
4. A breakdown of the statistics by local authority and sub-region for the past two years is given below:

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