2017 in numbers: HSE annual statistics revealed

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released its annual figures detailing how the UK is performing in terms of health and safety.

The figures show that, although Britain remains one of the safest places to work in Europe, an estimated 31.2 million working days were lost due to work-related illness – at a cost of an estimated £14.9 billion.

This is an increase of £0.8 billion over the last year.

The headline figures are as follows:

– 137 people were killed at work in 2016/17, which represents a decrease from 144 people in 2015/16. (You can read more on that in our previous blog post.)

– 70,116 non-fatal injuries were reported by employers. This is a decrease from the 2015/16 figure of 72,702.

–  An estimated 31.2 million working days were lost due to work-related illness; an increase from 30.4 million in 2015/16.

– The estimated annual cost of work-related injury in 2016/17 is £14.9 billion, which is an increase of £0.8 billion over last year.

Fatal diseases continue to be an area of concern, with 12,000 lung disease deaths each year being linked to past exposures at work. However, the fall in the number of fatal accidents following two years of increases is positive news.

The in non-fatal injuries is equally positive, continuing the downward trend. The most common causes of non-fatal injury were slip, trip or fall (29 per cent), lifting and handling (22 per cent), or being struck by an object (10 per cent.)

The full report from the HSE contains a range of statistics covering accident rates in different injuries and comparisons with other EU countries. You can read it by clicking here.

To discuss how Aegis can support you or your organisation to manage health and safety and reduce risk, please call 01772 736 522 or email admin@aegis-services-ltd.co.uk