Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Statistics
There were 35 fatal injuries to workers in manufacturing in 2006/07p, a decrease of 22% on 2005/06. Numbers have fluctuated in recent years, with no overall trend.
The rate of fatal injuries to workers decreased by 21% in 2006/07p, to 1.1 per 100 000 workers.
7 injuries resulted from being struck by a moving/falling object, 4 from being struck by a vehicle, 4 from being trapped by something collapsing or overturning, and 4 from being exposed to an explosion.
The number of reported major injuries to employees in manufacturing fell by 6% in 2006/07p to 5095, from 5410 in 2005/06. This is the lowest number reported in the eleven-year period 1996/97 to 2006/07p.
The rate of major injury to employees decreased from 182.5 in 2005/06 to 176.0 in 2006/07p. This is also the lowest rate in the eleven-year period.
In 2006/07, 28% (1415 of 5095) of major injuries to employees were due to slips or trips, 17% (869) resulted from handling lifting or carrying and 16% (836) resulted from being struck by a moving or falling object.
In 2006/07 the recycling industry had the highest rate of reported major injury, at 742.6 per 100 000 employees – almost seven times higher than the national average for all industries (107.0) and all manufacturing industries (176.0), and higher than the combined rates for construction (295.4) and agriculture (191.1). The individual industries for the manufacture of basic metals, furniture, wood, metal, food and mineral products had a rate of major injury at least double that of the national average.
For injuries reported in individual manufacturing industries under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), the available data is given in detailed tables.
Based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the rate of reportable non-fatal injury in manufacturing was 1300 per 100 000 workers (1.3%) in 2005/06 (three-year average), statistically significantly higher than the average for all industries (1000 per 100 000 workers – 1.0%).
The RIDDOR rate of reported non-fatal injury to employees in manufacturing decreased to 924 in 2006/07, from 996.2 in 2005/06.
The latest survey of self-reported work-related illness (SWI) carried out in 2006/07 estimated that 128 000 people whose current or most recent job in the last year was in the manufacturing industry suffered from an illness which was caused or made worse by this job (See Table WRIIND2). The associated prevalence rate, 3400 per 100 000 people (3.4%) working in the last year, was statistically significantly lower than that for all industries (3900 per 100 000 people – 3.9%).
Comparing this rate for manufacturing with corresponding rates from earlier SWI surveys indicates that the estimated prevalence rate in 2006/07 was of a similar order (not statistically significantly different) to the rates in 2005/06 (2900 per 100 000 - 2.9%), 2004/05 (3400 per 100 000 people – 3.4%), 2003/04 and 2001/02 (both an estimated 3800 per 100 000 people – 3.8%).
Table WRIIND4 shows that the estimated incidence rate in 2006/07 for the manufacturing sector of 1600 new cases per 100 000 people (1.6%) working in the last 12 months was statistically significantly lower than the average for all industries (1900 per 100 000 people – 1.9%). However, this rate was statistically significantly higher than the corresponding rate in 2005/06 (1100 per 100 000 people – 1.1%), but of a similar order (not statistically significantly different) to the rates in 2004/05 (1400 per 100 000 people – 1.4%), 2003/04 (1500 per 100 000 people – 1.5%) and 2001/02 (1600 per 100 000 people – 1.6%).
More detailed prevalence data by type of illness are not yet available from SWI06/07. The SWI survey conducted in 2005/06 showed that the prevalence rate for stress, depression or anxiety (See SWI Table STRIND2) for the manufacturing sector was of a similar order (not statistically significantly different) to those in 2004/05 and 2001/02, but was statistically significantly lower than in 2003/04. The prevalence rate for musculoskeletal disorders (See SWI Table MSDIND2) in 2005/06 was of a similar order (not statistically significantly different) to the corresponding rates in 2004/05, 2003/04 and 2001/02, for people working in the last 12 months.
Data from THOR shows incidence rates well above average for most disease categories. Only stress, spine/back disorders and infections show lower than average rates (see Table ILLMAN5)
Data from the 2006/07 LFS and SWI surveys indicate that the combined estimate of the number of days lost (full-day equivalent) due to workplace injury and work-related ill health attributed to the current or most recent job in the manufacturing industry was 3.6 million. This equates to an average annual loss of an estimated 1.1 days per worker, similar (not statistically significant different) to the rate for all industries (1.3 days per worker) and to the rates in 2005/06 (0.87 days per worker), 2004/05 (1.3 days per worker) and 2003/04 (1.3 days per worker).
Workplace injuries and work-related illness accounted for an estimated 0.80 and 2.7 million working days lost (full-day equivalent) respectively in 2006/07, with corresponding rates of 0.25 and 0.84 days per worker.
The injury rate was of a similar order (not statistically significantly different) to the respective rates of 0.29, 0.32 and 0.37 days per worker in 2005/06, 2004/05 and 2003/04.
The ill health rate was also of a similar order (not statistically significantly different) to those of 0.58, 0.96 and 0.91 days per worker in 2005/06, 2004/05 and 2003/04 (see Table WDLIND)