An increase in the number of workplace deaths over the last year could be the result of cuts due to austerity, said the British Safety Council.
There were 144 work-related fatalities in Britain between April 2017 and March 2018, according to figures published this month by the Health & Safety Executive. This was up from 135 in the previous year.
“This increase in workplace deaths may be the first sign of the effect of years of budget austerity, although the government cuts to health and safety investment have been taking a while to impact on workers,” said British Safety Council chairman Lawrence Waterman. “The rise in deaths at work undermines the complacent belief that ‘we have the best safety record in the world’ and raises questions about the hollowing out of the HSE’s and local authorities’ ability to inspect workplaces. In every aspect of life, you tend to get what you pay for and our government is paying less money and less attention to workplace safety year on year.”
The HSE pointed out that there had been a long-term reduction in the number of fatalities since 1981 and the number had remained “broadly level” in recent years. But HSE chair Martin Temple said: “Despite the fact that Britain’s health and safety record is the envy of much of the world, the increase in the number of workers fatally injured is clearly a source of concern. We must not become complacent as we continue on our mission to prevent all forms of injury, death and ill health at work.”
The largest number of deaths occurred in construction (38) and agriculture (29). There were 15 fatal injuries in manufacturing industry, where the annual average rate of fatal injury (per 100,000 workers) for the industry over the last five years is around 1.4 times the rate over all industries over the same period.
The most common causes of fatal injuries were falling from height (35), being struck by a moving vehicle (26), being struck by a moving object (23), being trapped by something collapsing or overturning (16) and contact with moving machinery (13).
The new figures also highlight the risks to older workers: 40% of fatal injuries in 2017/18 were to workers aged 60 or over, even though such workers made up only around 10% of the workforce.
Mr Waterman said: “We shall campaign even more vigorously to make workplaces more healthy and safe. That is the least we should do as a memorial to the 144 people who died last year.”