HSE has just released the latest annual statistics for worker fatalities that occurred in Great Britain during the period from April 24 to March 25. The total is 124. This shows a marked decrease from the previous 12-month period of 138.
A downward trend
In 1984 / 85, the fatality rate was 321, and in 2004 / 05 it was 223, so this continues to be a downward trend when looked at as a 20-year cycle. We can see the annual rates have dropped by 100 fatalities every 20 years. If this pattern continues, we could be looking at the figure being around 25 for the 2044 / 45 year.
This information should not make us complacent though, because whilst we are making the workplace a safer place (we are one of the safest places in the world to work), we must also remember that every one of those deaths likely involves a family, workers who have lost colleagues, friends who have lost friends and communities who have lost neighbours.
Breaking down the figures
Out of that 124 number, construction accounted for 35 deaths, followed by agriculture, forestry and fishing with 23. Waste and recycling is also an industry that needs to improve its rate of fatality, if we are, as a nation, going to continuingly improve overall.
The most common cause of death was still falling from height, which accounted for over 25% of the total, with 35 fatalities.
And 92 people, who were not working (members of the public in a workplace but not working themselves at the time), were killed due to a work-related incident.
So whilst we are making progress, we must not accept that accidents, fatal or otherwise, are just a part of the working day. We must strive to ensure that complacency is not a feature in the workplace where safety is concerned.
Help is available; HSE provides free and up-to-date information, methodologies and documents to use on their website, and we provide a variety of support, including guidance and templates on our Portal, to assist you and your business in its due diligence.
An exception
These figures do not, however, include deaths that have occurred due to suffering from an occupational disease, i.e. a fatality caused by occupational exposures to a health risk.
HSE has also published the annual figures for mesothelioma (PDF), a cancer caused by past exposure to asbestos.
The figures show that 2,218 people died from the disease in 2023 (a fall of 62 when compared with 2022), which is substantially lower than the average of 2,508 deaths per year over the ten-year period 2011-2020.
Current mesothelioma deaths reflect exposure to asbestos that likely occurred before the 1980s, and annual deaths are expected to continue declining during the next decade but will likely still be a factor until the 2050s, due to the latency period, which is between 10 – 50 years. Symptoms usually only present themselves 20 to 30 years after exposure to asbestos, once the disease has already started to develop.
To avoid accidents, causing harm and facing prosecution, ensure your business complies with Health and Safety law in 2025, by:
- Conducting risk assessments as and when required (prior to undertaking activities).
- Providing training regarding the risks involved and how to manage them.
- Supervising risk management, as necessary, until competence is demonstrated.
- Formally reviewing risk assessments and associated safe systems of work regularly.
- Updating training provided (toolbox talks, in-house or external formal training).
- Keeping/updating records of all the above processes.
Need help with this? Please do not hesitate to contact us.