HSE publishes fatal injury statistics

"STATISTICS recently released by the Health & Safety Executive show that the number of fatal injuries in all HSE and local authority enforced sectors fell by 10% to 226 in 2002/03 from 251 in 2001/02. The rate of fatal injury also fell by 10% in 2002/03 to 0.79 per 100,000 workers, compared to 0.88 for 2001/02."

The number and rate of worker fatal injuries rose by around 30% in 2000/01 and then fell by 23% in the next two years to 2002/03. The rate of injury is now at the same level as three years ago and around a third of that recorded in 1981.

"Falls from height, being struck by a moving vehicle and being struck by moving/falling objects continue to be the most common kinds of accident, together accounting for 53% of fatal injuries to workers in 2002/03."

"In the extractive and utility supply industries grouping, in 2002/03 there were three fatal injuries to workers, compared with 14 in 2001/02. In 2002/03 the rate of fatal injury is 1.4 per 100,000 workers, compared with 6.5 in 2001/02."

"For the combined three-year period of 2000/01 to 2002/03, the industries with the highest rate of fatal injury to employees include the recycling of waste and scrap (19.9 per 100,000 workers), the quarrying of stone/ore (9.8), the extraction of crude petroleum and natural gas (8.5), and sewage and refuse disposal (7.2)."

The HSE document ‘Statistics of Fatal Injuries 2002/03’ can be found at: