24 killed while working in manufacturing
Policy Release
- Date:
- 30 June 2010
New figures for the number of workers who were fatally injured in the manufacturing sector have today been released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
They show that between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010:
- 24 manufacturing workers were killed at work, compared to an average of 38 in the past five years, and a fall of 27 per cent on 2008/09 when 33 workers died.
- The rate of fatal injuries in the sector was 0.9 deaths per 100,000 workers, compared to an average rate of 1.2 for the previous five years.
- Of the 24 manufacturing workers killed, 22 were employees and 2 were self employed people.
HSE's Head of Manufacturing sector, Geoff Cox said:
"While it's positive to see a continuing decrease in the number of fatalities in the manufacturing industry, there are still far too many workers dying in the course of earning their living.
"Employers, workers and HSE owe it to the 24 workers who have lost their lives to continue to take a vigilant approach to workplace safety.
"As the economy recovers from recession, it's imperative that the industry makes safety a top priority, as we know from evidence of previous recoveries that it generally sees an increase in the rate and number of workers losing their lives."
Notes to editors
- The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to prevent 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
- Across all sectors and regions there were 151 workplace deaths in 2009/10, and 178 in 2009/09. Further information on workplace statistics can be found at www.hse.gov.uk/statistics
- The average rate of fatal injury in manufacturing over the last five years has been 1.2 deaths per 100,000 workers.
- In each of the last five years, the number of fatal injuries in manufacturing has been:
- 2008/09 - 33 workers died
- 2007/08 - 33 workers died
- 2006/07 - 36 workers died
- 2005/06 - 45 workers died
- 2004/05 - 43 workers died
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