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The British Safety Council (BSC) has expressed concern over the official statistics on worker fatalities in the UK for 2011 – 2012, which were released at the start of July.

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the number of work-related fatalities in the UK in the last year was 173. This was slightly less than the 175 recorded in 2010-11, but considerably more than the historically low figure of 147 recorded in 2009-10.

It is this stall in the reduction in the number of work-related deaths that has the BSC so concerned. Neal Stone, who is the Council’s director of policy and communications, said:

“While the number of deaths in Britain resulting from workplace injury has halved over the last twenty years, it is a serious concern that the reduction in both the number and incidence of deaths has stalled over the last two years.
“The fatal injuries that occurred in 2011/12 are a tragedy and a stark reminder that the health and safety regulatory framework is a fundamental protection to help keep workers healthy and safe.”

The best way that companies can prevent workplace injuries and fatalities is to follow health and safety regulations to the letter and to ensure that in-depth health and safety training is undertaken by all employees, managers and supervisors.