Annual injury and ill-health statistics released
Health and Safety Executive publishes latest figures on work-related ill health and injuries
THE latest annual injury and ill-health statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reveal that 1.3 million workers were suffering from work related ill health and there were 609,000 workplace injuries in 2016/17.
The figures show that while Britain remains one of the safest places to work, there is still work to do to drive these figures down.
Workplace injury and new cases of ill health cost Britain £14.9 billion for the year with 31.2 million working days lost.
The annual statistics, compiled by HSE from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and other sources, cover work-related ill health, workplace injuries, working days lost, costs to Britain and enforcement action taken.
Top line statistics show that in 2016/17 there were:
- 137 fatal injuries in Britain’s workplaces
- 70,116 other injuries reported by employers
- 12,000 lung disease deaths estimated to be linked to past work exposures
- 554 cases prosecuted with fines from convictions totalling £69.9 million.
Commenting on the findings, HSE chair Martin Temple said: ‘These latest figures should act as a spur to reduce the impact of ill health and injury on Britain’s workforce and businesses, and we cannot rest on our reputation.
‘We will only achieve long-term improvement by a collective approach to improve workplace standards. Poor standards lead to poor health and increased injuries, which is bad for the workforce and business.’
Though there were fewer prosecutions in 2016/17, the statistics show an increase in fines to £69.9 million from £38.8 million in 2015/16.
New sentencing guidelines in England and Wales were introduced in 2016, and 20 large fines accounted for £30.7 million of the new figure.
The full annual injury and ill-health statistics report can be found at: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/
