Region's workplace accident rates better, but further improvement needed

Work accidents may be decreasing, but a North West health and safety expert says there is plenty of room for improvement as the region lost an estimated 3.5 million working days in the year 2008/09 to work-related illness and injuries.

The latest figures for 2008/09 published by the Health and Safety Executive show that there were 22 fatal injuries to workers in the region, 3,281 major injuries at work and 12,901 injuries that resulted in at least a three-day absence from work.

In the North West, the rate for fatal and major injuries was 110.5 per 100,000 people, below the national average of 125.7 per 100,000. Injuries needing more than three days absence from work were also below the national average, at 432.6 per 100, 000 compared to 471.9.

Over the period from 2004/05 to 2008/09 major injuries to the region’s employees have fallen by 15%, compared to a national decrease of 9%. Similarly, over three day injuries to employees fell by 18%, compared to a decrease of 14% for Britain as a whole.

However Jonathan Betts, partner of national law firm Irwin Mitchell, said more still has to be done to protect workers.

“We are not talking about minor injuries here – these are injuries serious enough to have resulted in significant periods of absence, an inability to return to work or a fatility. Although it is encouraging that the figures are decreasing, we are still looking at hundreds of thousands of people injured at work every year,” he said.

“There is still a lot of work to be done to get businesses to follow even the basic health and safety guidelines. People should expect to be able to head off to work, do their job and return home safely after their duties. But from these figures it is clear that, all too often, this is not the case.

“Workers frequently come to us after they have suffered serious injury following a work accident which could easily have been avoided. Such industrial accidents cause pain, suffering and misery for the person injured and their family. As noted by the HSE, such accidents at work cost industry an enormous amount of money. So the message is clear: good health and safety for workers is also good business.”

In 2008/09 falls from height accounted for 32% of fatal injuries to workers in the region while slips trips and falls caused 38% of major injuries. The most common type of injury requiring more than three days off work was handling, lifting and carrying, which accounted for 40% of North West injuries.

The HSE figures highlight that certain sectors are performing differently. In 2008/09 the highest rate of fatal and major injuries in the region was in the construction industry with 253.6 per 100,000 workers. Service industries accounted for 68% of fatal and major injuries and 73% of over three day injuries in 2008/09. Manufacturing recorded the highest rate of over three day injuries to employees.

Mr Betts added: “There has been a downward trend since 2005 but there is clearly more work to be done. We must not forget the extent to which the economic downturn could have contributed to the decrease in injuries, too – when sectors like construction and manufacturing have been so badly affected by the recession, it stands to reason that there would be fewer people at work to get hurt.”