Occupational Safety: Facts & Figures
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Fatal injuries
The number of workers fatally injured in work related accidents in 2010/11 was 171.
This is equivalent to a rate of fatal injury of approx 1 in 160,000 workers, an increase on the previous year's figures but it is consistent with a longer-term downward trend. [1]
Of the main industrial sectors, construction, agriculture and waste and recycling have the highest rates of fatal injuries.
The most common kinds of accident involved with fatal injuries are: falling from a height; being struck by a moving vehicle; and being struck by moving or falling objects. [2]
Fatal diseases
There are an estimated 12,000 deaths per year as a result of past exposure to harmful working conditions.
The current estimate of the annual number of occupational cancer deaths in Great Britian is around 8,000, 4,000 of those due to past exposure to asbestos.
An estimated 4,000 Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease deaths are caused each year due to past occupational exposure to fumes, chemicals and dust. [1]
Injury
There were over 600,000 self reported work-place injuries reported in 2010/11. [3];
- Over 100,000 non-fatal injuries reported by employers, a rate of approx 1 in 2,000 employees
- 200,000 reportable injuries -defined as over 3 day absence- occurred, a rate of approx 1 in 140
Resulting in 4.4 million working days lost due to workplace injury in 2010-11. [1]
Slips and trips, often resulting in broken bones, are the biggest cause of the 26,000 major incidents reported. [3]
Ill health
HSE estimates that there are 1.2 million cases of ill health every year caused or made worse by work, with 22.1 million working days lost due to work-related illness.
Stress, depression or anxiety and musculoskeletal disorders accounted for the majority of days lost due to work-related ill health, 10.8 and 7.6 million days respectively. [1]
Introduction to Occupational Health
Cost
26.4 million working days are lost annually due to work-related injury and illness
The cost to British employers of health and safety failure was estimated to be £3.1 billion in 2009/10 [4]. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) suggests that £910 million to £3,710 million comes from accidental damage to property and equipment. [5]
Cost of Accidents
Penalties
Those found guilty in a magistrate's court of health and safety offences can face fines of up to £20,000 and/or up to 12 months imprisonment. Conviction in a Crown Court can result in an unlimited fine and/or a period of imprisonment of up to two years. [6]
Work Related Road Risk
Up to a third of all road traffic accidents are estimated to involve somebody who is at work at the time, accounting for 20 fatalities and 250 serious injuries every week. [7]
References
- Health and Safety Executive Annual Statistics Report 2010/11 (PDF)
- Health and Safety statistics for 2010/11 - Kind of Accidents
- At a glance guide to Health and Safety Statistics 2010/11, HSE (PDF)
- Cost to Britain of workplace injuries and work-related ill health: 2009/10 update, Health and Safety Executive (PDF)
- HSE Better Business Website: Cost Savings of Health and Safety
- HSE Enforcement Policy Statement (PDF)
- Driving at work Managing work-related road safety, Department for Work and Transport, HSE, 2003 (PDF)
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