Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Statistics
In 2006/07 there were 33 fatal injuries to employees; one to the self-employed. Of these 34 fatalities, 4 occurred on the railway network.
The rate of fatal injuries to workers in 2006/07 was 1.9, an increase of 71% from 2005/06. Although the number of fatalites has increased over the last 3 years, the number and rate of fatal injury has fluctuated in recent years with no overall trend.
The number of reported major injury to employees in the transport industry in 2006/07 was 3285, a decrease of 6% from the previous year (3498).
Slips and trips were responsible for 40% of major injuries to employees in 2006/07, 15% of major injuries were caused by handling, falls from a height also accounted for 15% of major injuries in transport.
The rate of major injury to employees in 2006/07 is 209.4, this is 6% lower than the rate in 2005/06 (222.5).
Based on the Labour Force Survey (LFS), the rate of reportable non-fatal injury in transport, storage and communication was 1500 per 100 000 workers (1.5%) in 2005/06 (three-year average), statistically significantly higher than the average for all industries (1000 per 100 000 workers – 1.0%).
Since 1999/2000 the RIDDOR rate of reported non-fatal (major and over-3-day) injuries to employees has decreased by 5% from 1 592 to 1 510 in 2006/07.
In 2006/07, being injured while handling and slip/trip injuries were the most common kinds of non-fatal injuries in the transport sector, accounting for 64% of all non-fatal injuries to employees.
The latest survey of self-reported work-related illness (SWI) carried out in 2006/07 estimated that 73 000 people whose current or most recent job in the last year was in the transport, storage and communication sector suffered from an illness which was caused or made worse by this job (See Table WRIIND2). The associated prevalence rate, 3700 per 100 000 people (3.7%) working in the last year, was of a similar order (not statistically significantly different) to the rate for all industries (3900 per 100 000 people – 3.9%)
Comparing this rate for transport, storage and communication 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 those in 2005/06 (3600 per 100 000 people – 3.6%), 2004/05 (3400 per 100 000 people – 3.4%), 2003/04 (4500 per 100 000 people – 4.5%) and 2001/02 (4300 per 100 000 people – 4.3%).
SWI Table WRIIND4 shows that the estimated incidence rate in 2006/07 of 1700 new cases per 100 000 people (1.7%) working in the last 12 months in the transport, storage and communication sector was of a similar order (not statistically significantly different) to the average for all industries (1900 per 100 000 people – 1.9%). This rate was also of a similar order (not statistically significantly different) to the rates in 2005/06, 2004/05 (both 1800 per 100 000 people – 1.8%), 2003/04 (2000 per 100 000 people – 2.0%) and 2001/02 (2300 per 100 000 people – 2.3%).
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 transport sector prevalence rate for musculoskeletal disorders (See SWI Table MSDIND2) was of a similar order (not statistically significantly different) to the corresponding rates in 2004/05, 2003/04 and 2001/02, whereas the rates for stress, depression or anxiety in 2005/06 (See Table STRIND2) was of a similar order (not statistically significantly different) to that in 2004/05, but was statistically significantly lower than those in 2003/04 and 2001/02, for people working in the last 12 months.
Data from the THOR surveillance schemes show incidence rates below average for stress (see Table ILLTRA5) and upper limb disorders, but slightly above average for spine/back disorders.
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 transport, storage and communication sector was 2.7 million, equating to an average annual loss of an estimated 1.6 days per worker. This was similar (not statistically significantly different) to the all industry rate (1.3 days per worker) and to the rates in 2005/06 (1.9 days per worker), 2004/05 (1.6 days per worker) and 2003/04 (2.1 days per worker).
Workplace injuries and work-related illness accounted for an estimated 0.43 and 2.3 million working days lost (full-day equivalent) respectively in 2006/07, with corresponding rates of 0.24 and 1.3 days per worker.
The injury rate was of a similar order (not statistically significantly different) to that of 0.26 days per worker in 2005/06, but was statistically significantly lower than the respective rates of 0.49 and 0.60 days per worker in 2004/05 and 2003/04.
The ill health rate was of a similar order (not statistically significantly different) to the respective rates of 1.6, 1.1 and 1.5 days per worker in 2005/06, 2004/05 and 2003/04 (see Table WDLIND).