New year, renewed call to reduce workplace death and injury in North Yorkshire

Date:

31 December 2010

Release No:

-

Employers in North Yorkshire 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 the county as a whole remained stubbornly the same, out of step with the total number of work-related deaths across Britain being at a record low.

According to figures released for 2009/10, three people in North Yorkshire were fatally injured at work, the same as the previous year. And major workplace injuries across the county also increased slightly from 427 to 430.

The deaths for last year were recorded in Craven, Hambleton and Harrogate, In 2008/9 they were in Hambleton, Scarborough and Selby. No fatalities were recorded in either year by Richmondshire, Ryedale and York.

There was a total of 2,714 serious workplace injuries recorded in Yorkshire & the Humber last year compared to 2,946 in 2008/9 and 23 deaths - one less than the previous year.

David Snowball, Regional Director for HSE in Yorkshire & Humber, previous year.

"The national fall in numbers of workers killed or injured through their work is encouraging but each death means a family missing a loved one at Christmas. Straightforward health and safety measures save lives - sometimes it really is as simple as that. There are all sorts of resolutions employers might make in January but reinforcing their commitment to looking after their employees is a good place to start."

Notes to editors :

A breakdown of the statistics by local authority and sub-region for the past two years is given below (page 3).

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 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

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