Throughout 2016/17, it was reported that 137 workers were killed. However, this a slight decrease in deaths from 2015/16 from 144. Whilst the number is still worryingly high, when comparing the past two years’ figures with 2006/07 when there were 247 deaths in the workplace, it is clear that health and safety is slowly, but surely, improving.
However, not all injuries are fatal. It is worth noting the number of non-fatal injuries in the workplace – in 2015/16 there were 621,000 workers who experienced non-fatal injuries as a result of a working accident, according to self-reports in Labour Force Survey in 2015/16, and an additional 72,702 injuries as reported by employers.
The majority of injuries lead to an absence from work. Of those reported injuries, 200,000 of them led to over three days absence from work, and 152,000 of them led to over seven days absence. All 72,702 injuries reported by employers lasted over seven days. According to Healthy and Safety Executive, these injuries cost companies on average 7.2 days of work per case – that’s a huge 4.5 million working days lost. Can businesses afford that loss?
Unsurprisingly, the most common industry for both fatal and non-fatal injuries is the manual labour industry, in particular the construction industry, followed by the agriculture and manufacturing industry. But what was the most common cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries?
621,000 of the non-fatal injured workers in 2015/16, 20% were injured when handling, lifting or carrying objects, with 19% injured by slipping or tripping in the workplace and 10% being hit by a moving object – all are factors that can be addressed within the workplace to ensure injuries are prevented.
Of the fatal injuries in 2016/17, the most common cause of death in the workplace was being struck by a moving vehicle – of the 137 deaths, 31 of them were caused by a moving vehicle. 25 deaths were caused by falling from a height and 20 deaths when struck by a moving object. Health and safety training and regulations are key for businesses to prevent these accidents.
Workplace and Ill Health
It is not just workplace injuries which lead to a loss of working days. As for example, in 2015/16 there were 1.3 million workers suffering from a work-related illness, of which stress, depression and anxiety (0.5 million workers) and musculoskeletal disorders (0.5 million workers) were the most common illnesses.
It was reported that in 2015/16, ill health in the work place cost businesses 25.9 million days due to work related illness, according to the Labour Force Survey, based on self-reports. But just how much does the loss of working days actually cost businesses?
The Costly Price of Workplace Injuries?
It was reported that in 2014/15, the combined cost of workplace injuries and work-related ill health cost companies a shocking £14.1 billion – of which £2.8 billion is paid out by employers. 34% of the annual bill, £4.8 billion, was spent on workplace injury costs. This is usually paid as statutory sick pay. In some cases, employees might be paid extra whilst on the sick depending on the nature and severity of the workplace accident and injury. The other 66% of the annual bill, £9.3 billion, was paid out for work-related illnesses.
However, this amount doesn’t cover any potential work-related illness and accident at work claims from employees put forward to their employer. If employers are already paying out £2.8 billion in costs, can they afford to pay out additional costs in claims?
This undoubtedly highlights the importance of health and safety in the workplace – not only for your employees, but for the company bank balance too. And with 92 members of the public also killed in 2016/17 due to work-related activities, it is clear that it is not just the safety of your employees that should be at the forefront of any company policy, but the public too.
Sources
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causinj/
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/fatals.htm
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/pdf/fatalinjuries.pdf
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/cost.htm
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/overall/hssh1516.pdf?pdf=hssh1516
When finding a job, one important factor of course is your personal safety, whether it be the commute to work or in the workplace itself. It is important to choose a workplace where you would be comfortable enough to work and be productive. It is also important to consider the life outside of work. We should also think about work-life balance. Thank you for sharing the statistics. Hopefully more people would be aware of this and consider it as a major factor.
Hi Erik.
The stats you have shared
Are very very interesting.
Are you a safety manager at work?
Thanks for sharing.
Best wishes and regards.
Nikki
It’s a gamble. If it’s a mild problem that goes away in a few weeks and you te your employer they will likely fire you in a few months with no protection. On the other jeans if it’s something serious that ends up taking months to heal or, God forbid, surgery failure to report it immediately can bar the claim. If it’s already been more than a week without report, you can forget a claim anyway because it will be controverted.
Wow those are some pretty astonishing numbers! When I had to file my federal compensation claim it was due to a work-related illness and it was not fun at all. Luckily I partnered with a company that assisted in my claims processing, helping me find doctors and even fill out paperwork. It made the entire process a lot less stressful overall.