Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 25th July 2024 Issue no. 1124
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Work-related fatality figures show waste & recycling needs attention
Work-related incidents in Great Britain claimed 135 lives in the last year, according to figures published this month by the Health & Safety Executive.
And while the waste & recycling sector seems at first to be quite a safe industry in which to work, with six fatalities this year compared to five the previous year, when one considers the fatalities per 100,000 workers in the industry, it’s second only to agriculture, forestry and fishing, with the two sectors way out in front when it comes to fatalities.
Based on the annual average rates for 2018/19-2022/23 (as this reduces the effect of year-on-year fluctuations and gives a more stable picture) the rate of fatal injury to workers in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector remains markedly higher than the average across all industries: 21 times as high as the all industry rate.
However, the waste & recycling sector also has an elevated rate of fatal injury over this period compared to the average across all industries: 10 times as high.
The three most common causes of fatal injuries are falls from height (40), being struck by a moving object (29), and being struck by a moving vehicle (20).
"Any loss of life in the workplace is a tragedy,” says HSE's chief executive Sarah Albon. "While these figures show Great Britain is one of the safest countries in the world to work, safety must continue to be at the top of everyone's agenda.”
See the report at:
27th July 2023