New Figures Underline Importance of Workplace Safety

Health and Safety Executive statistics released

20 people died at work last year in Scotland, with over 6 thousand suffering injury, a fall from the previous year

New figures released by the Health and Safety Executive show the scale of workplace injury is declining but there are still risks especially for those working in construction, manufactoring and recycling.  

It also highlighted the need for more to be done in the agriculture sector with falls, poorly mainted machinery and workplace transport as the biggest concerns. 

Tim Weir is a lawyer with Scotland's Thompson's explains 

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Alistair McNab, HSE Head of Operations for Scotland said:
 
"The families of the workers in Scotland who sadly lost their lives last year have just had to spend the festive period without their loved ones, while hundreds of other workers were made ill through their work or had their lives changed forever by a major injury.
 
The figures offer encouragement that we are continuing to head in the right direction, but they also show that we can still go further and challenge the industries where there is room to do more.
 
Workplace conditions have improved dramatically in the past four decades, but as employers and self-employed workers plan and prepare for the new financial year they need to ensure that health, safety and welfare is a clear focus."
 
HSE Chair, Judith Hackitt, added: "In the forty years since HSE was formed, we’ve worked with businesses, workers and government to make Britain a healthier and safer place to work. 
 
Thousands of serious injuries have been prevented and work-related deaths have reduced by 85 per cent. HSE has helped Britain become one of the safest places to work in the world.
 
But we must also recognise that there is still a big challenge to prevent the suffering which does still occur. Seeing the annual statistics always leads to mixed emotions, sympathy for those who have suffered injury themselves and for the families and workmates of those who have lost their lives, determination to improve things further as well as encouragement that we are continuing to make progress in reducing the toll of suffering.
 
For the last eight years we have consistently recorded one of the lowest rates of fatal injuries to workers among the leading industrial nations in Europe."