01.07.2015

UK construction fatalities drop 20%

The latest statistics show that the overall number of people killed while at work in the UK has increased, while the number of construction fatalities has fallen.

Provisional data released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reveals that 142 workers were fatally injured between April 2014 and March 2015 – up 4.4 percent from last year. Overall there were 0.46 fatalities per 100,000 employees last year, compared to an all-time low of 0.45 the previous year.
The construction sector remains one of the worst offenders for workplace fatalities with 35, however this is down 20 percent from last year. In comparison the agricultural sector recorded 33 fatalities whilst the waste & recycling sector recorded just five.

HSE chairman Judith Hackitt, said: “It is disappointing last year’s performance on fatal injuries has not been matched, but the trend continues to be one of improvement. Our systems and our framework remain strong as demonstrated by our performance in comparison to other countries. Every fatality is a tragic event and our commitment to preventing loss of life in the workplace remains unaltered. All workplace fatalities drive HSE to develop even more effective interventions to reduce death, injury and ill health.”

Over the last 20 years, the number of recorded fatalities has fallen by more than 50 percent, and the stats indicate that the UK is one of the safest places to work in Europe.