Main causes of injury in food and drink manufacture
Each year over 5000 injuries in food and drink manufacturing industries are reported to HSE, this represents about a quarter of all manufacturing injuries reported. Around 90% of these injuries occur in food manufacture, the remainder in the drinks sector.
About 16% of the injuries are 'major injuries' resulting in broken bones, hospitalisation etc. mostly due to slips, falls from height or machinery. The remainder are 'over-3-day absence injuries' mostly caused by lifting and handling, slips and trips and being struck by objects such as hand-knives or falling objects. The graph below combines both 'major' and 'over-3-day absence' injuries.
- Manual handling
- Slips on wet or food contaminated floors
- Falls from height
- Workplace transport (including FLTs)
- Struck by something (eg sharp knives or falling objects)
- Food processing machinery
- Packaging machinery
Causes of injury in food and drink manufacture 2008/9
Analysis of 5221 major and over-3-day absence injuries
