Figures released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reveal that 124 people were killed at work in the first six months of the year April 2006 to March 2007. This compares with a total of 212 for the entire 12 month period of 2005/06. If the current trend continues, therefore, the total for the current year could be as high as 248, which would make it the highest level for five years.
The detailed statistics show that the biggest rises in fatalities have occurred in the construction, service, extraction and utilities industries. Fatalities of railway workers in the six-month period have already reached the same level (5 deaths) as for the whole of last year. Provisional figures for the construction industry for the whole year show a total of 74 deaths, a 14 per cent increase on the previous year. However, the number of deaths in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors has fallen slightly.
Some trades unions have linked the rise in deaths to a reduction in the resources available to the HSE. There has been a reduction in the number of HSE inspections, improvement and prohibition notices and prosecutions for health and safety offences in recent years.
This news comes at the same time as John Hutton, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has announced a comprehensive review of the nation's occupational health. Each year 30 million working days are lost through injury and ill health at work. The government review will examine the links between work and health to search for ways to improve occupational health with the focus on the rehabilitation of those who become ill or who are injured at work.