Every year, the HSE releases its annual data on employee health and safety across the United Kingdom. The most current data ranges from April 2021 to March 2022. The data contain statistics on occupational illness, workplace injuries, and the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Furthermore, the included enforcement numbers serve as a sharp reminder of the dangers of failing to follow HSE requirements. The data for 2021/22 are summarised below:
- In work-related accidents, 123 employees were killed.
- A total of 565,000 workers were injured on the job.
- Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, 61,713 employee injuries were recorded (RIDDOR).
- Work-related illness and injury resulted in the loss of 36.8 million working days.
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Furthermore, 1.8 million working persons were afflicted with a work-related ailment, among which:
- A work-related musculoskeletal condition afflicted 477,000 employees.
- COVID-19 infected 123,000 people, who think they were exposed at work.
- Work-related stress, sadness, and anxiety affected 914,000 employees.
The third figure mentioned, the amount of employees suffering from work-related stress, despair, and anxiety, is very relevant. This amount was 822,000 in the HSE’s 2020/21 report, but it has now grown 10% to 914,000. Given that poor mental health can lead to decreased employee productivity and increased absenteeism, it is critical that businesses address this developing issue. As a result, mental health programmes will continue to be significant across all businesses in 2023.
Understanding health and safety trends in general will be critical for companies in 2023. Organizations can keep their employees safe by taking the effort to identify the most prominent dangers.
Contact us now to learn more about customised risk management solutions that can safeguard your employees and bottom line.
Company Fined After Worker Fell Through Station Canopy
A structural fabrication firm in North East England was fined £20,000 after an employee sustained a broken pelvis and internal injuries after falling through a fuel station forecourt canopy. A burst of wind snagged the sheet the guy was holding while he was removing corrugated metal sheets from the roof.
As a result, the employee plummeted four metres through the canopy to the ground below. The company themselves pleaded guilty to violating Section 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 by failing to assess the danger of working on the canopy appropriately. The firm was fined £20,000 and forced to pay £7,825 in costs, with a victim surcharge of £190.