Fewer work injuries in manufacturing, but improvement still needed
November 15, 2010
The amount of people dying or claiming work accident compensation has decreased according to the latest figures released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Between April 2009 and March 2010 the number of reported employees making an accident at work claim, for injuries such as amputations or broken bones, fell by 11% from 4,331 to 3,863. The number of deaths in manufacturing also fell to 22, from an average of 33 over the past five years. This is obviously good news and shows that the recent focus on improving knowledge of health and safety is working. However, 158 employees per 100,000 make a work accident claim or are killed as a result of manufacturing work, which is 50% higher than the industry average of 102 per 100,000. Therefore, further work is still needed to improve health and safety so that the number people making an accident at work claim can be decreased even further.