The Risk Management Tool Box Blog

The latest United Kingdom OHS statistics for 2012 - 2013 have just been published by the UK Health and safety Executive (UK HSE)

The UK HSE statistics includes the following key annual figures:

•  148 workers were killed at work during the previous year;
 
•  78,222 injuries to employees were reported. Due to changes in legal reporting requirements it is not possible to compare directly with previous years although statistical analysis suggests a downward trend is continuing;

•  175,000 reportable injuries leading to over-7-day absence occurred;

•  5.2 million working days were lost due to workplace injury.  This figure equates to an average 8.1 days per injury;
 
•  In 2011, there were 2,291 Mesothelioma deaths caused by past exposure to asbestos;

•  The number of Mesothelioma deaths is expected to continue to increase in future years before peaking in 2020;

•  13,503 enforcement notices were issued by the UK HSE and local authorities; a decrease of 15 per cent from the previous year;

•  The UK HSE completed 597 prosecution cases (covering 973 offences) and secured a conviction in  95per cent of cases; and

•  Workplace injuries and ill health (excluding cancer) cost society an estimated £13.8 billion.

In September 2013,  Safety Inspectors from the UK Health and Safety Executive (UK-HSE) made unannounced visits to construction sites to ensure builder's were managing high-risk activities.

These types of jobs include working at height, work in excavations, use of chemicals, electrical work, and the control of exposure to harmful dusts. 

Inspectors were also looking for house-keeping problems, sound structures and basic welfare facilities.

In a worrying outcome, poor safety practices were found at nearly 50 per cent of the building sites visited.

The UK HSE visited over 2,600 sites and Safety Inspectors found basic safety standards were not being met on 1,105 of these locations. 

On a quarter of locations (644 sites), safety control was so poor that enforcement action was necessary to protect workers.

Almost 540 prohibition notices were served by Inspectors ordering dangerous activities to stop immediately.

A further 414 improvement notices were also issued.

It is very disturbing to find UK building standards falling below acceptable health and safety requirements.

At the Risk Tool Box, we would encourage the UK HSE to pursue those who recklessly endanger the health and lives of their workforce through the court system.

Recent data released by the UK Health and Safety Executive (UKHSE) show an 11 per cent drop in major injuries in 2012-2013 compared to 2011.

The provisional statistics for 2012-2013 published by the UKHSE show the following results:

•  148 workers fatally injured – down from 171 the previous year.

•  19,707 major injuries such as amputations, fractures and burns, to employees were reported;

•  Workplace injuries and ill-health (excluding work related cancer) cost society an estimated £13. 8 billion.

There has also been little change in the industries in which workers are most likely to be injured by their jobs.

The waste and recycling  sector remains the most dangerous industry with 370 major injuries per 100 000 employees.

Agriculture is also dangerous with 239 major injuries per 100 000 employees.

The construction sector remains in the top three with 156 major injuries per 100 000 employees.

Speaking about the latest figures, Judith Hackitt, the Chairwoman of the UKHSE, said:

“This year’s figures demonstrate that Britain continues to be improve its health and safety performance, with important falls in the number of workers fatally injured and the number of employees suffering major injuries. But we still see too many deaths and injuries occur in the work place many of which could have been prevented through simple safety measures.  Getting this right is the key to ensuring that everyone can make it home safely at the end of their working day.  As the economy grows, new and inexperienced additions to the workforce  can increase in the risk of injuries to workers. We’re committed to helping employers understand that health and safety is about sensibly and proportionately managing risks and ensuring people understand the risks involved not creating unnecessary paperwork.”

Construction dust is a problem if not managed appropriately.

Regularly breathing in construction dust over a long period of time can cause life-changing lung diseases.

Employers in the construction industry need to know what to do to prevent or adequately control construction dust risks.

Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs) and workers also need to know about the risk posed by construction dust; and how to protect themselves against the hazard.

To view an information leaflet from the UK HSE on this important topic, just click here.

The UK Health and Safety Executive (UK HSE) is holding a public consultation on consolidated regulations that will simplify the safety laws for manufacturing, handling and storing explosives.

The consolidated set of regulations include European requirements in relation to product safety.

The UK HSE is seeking input from businesses and stakeholders through an eight-week public consultation that began on 30 July 2013.

Interested party's may include industry, other Government departments, third sector groups, and individual.

The consultative document and details of how to respond to the consultation are available on the HSE website.

The objective of the review is to assist UK HSE to remove duplicate provisions in existing legislation and minimize potential confusion by producing a single set of common definitions.

As a result of the consolidation HSE will produce a new suite of overarching guidance identifying the principles of safe and secure operation, supplemented by sub-sector specific guidance.

Subject to the consultation, it is intended that these will replace the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) for the Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005 and the current explosive guidance.

The consolidation process is one of the recommendations of the review of health and safety undertaken by Professor Ragnar Löfstedt.

Subject to the outcome of the consultation and ministerial approval, the consolidated Regulations will come into effect from October 2014.

Here at the Risk Tool Box, we think it's quite neat that this year, the UKs National Safety Symposium is titled "Tools for your toolbox, skills for your future".

Taking place on Monday 8th September 2013, at the Nottingham Belfry, Mellors Way, Nottingham (NG8 6PY), this year's National Safety Symposium will provide practical sessions for the safety professional.

There wll be a focus on safety leadership, safety management and current health, safety and well-being issues.

The Symposium offers a wealth of networking opportunities, workshops, case studies, expert advice and debate.

So everyone in an EHS role should get something from the day..

Health and Safety Executive Chair, Judith Hackitt will open the conference with a keynote address.

A full programme and online booking form can be found on the IOSH National Safety Symposium website.

Alternatively, you can call the bookings team on 0116 257 3197.

Shown below are the latest UK HSE statistics on fatalities reported in the UK for the first three months of the year.

The number of workers killed in Britain last year has fallen.

Britain continues to have the lowest rate of fatal injuries to workers among the five leading industrial nations in Europe - Germany, France, Spain and Italy for the eighth year.

Data released by the UKHSE show that 148 workers were kille between April 2012 and March 2013, compared with 172 in the previous year.

Across Great Britain:

+   118 fatal injuries in England were recorded;

+   22 fatal injuries in Scotland were recorded; and

+   8 fatal injuries in Wales were recorded.

The average rate of fatal injury over the last five years has been 0.6 per 100, 000 workers.

In each of the last five years, the number of fatal injuries has been:

+    2011/12 – 172 workers died;

+   2010/11 – 175 workers died;

+   2009/10 – 147 workers died;

+   2008/09 – 179 workers died; and

+   2007/08 – 233 workers died.

The number of workers killed in the UK has fallen in 2012 compared to previous years.

Information released by the UK Health and Safety Executive (UK HSE) tell that 148 workers were killed between April 2012 and March 2013.

This compares with 172 in the same period the previous year.

The UK has had one of the lowest rates of fatal injuries to workers in leading industrial nations in Europe consistently for the last eight years.

But the fact that 148 British workers failed to return home to their loved ones is still a depressing statistic to us at the Risk Tool Box.

The new figures also show the rate of fatal injuries in several key industrial sectors:

+   39 construction workers were killed (1.9 deaths per 100,000 workers);

+   29 agricultural workers were killed (8.8 deaths per 100,000 workers); and

+   10 waste and recycling workers were killed (8.2 deaths per 100,000 workers).

The UK Government has made a commitment to slashing burdensome rules on business owners and operators.

And Minister for Employment Mark Hoban has outlined his plans to make it as easy as possible for employers to take on work experience students.

In the past, employers in low risk environments have been hampered by needless risk assessments for young people.

In some cases they have even had to repeat risk assessments for every young person they give a chance of work experience.

This is a needless expense and waste of time when then work experience circumstances are exactly the same.

The Government seems committed to putting an end to this kind of health and safety bureaucracy.

The UK Health and Safety Executive (UK HSE) has also recently issued revised guidance to employers  taking on work experience youngsters.

The Association of British Insurers has also reassured employers that they don’t have to take out special insurance policies to cover students on work experience.

Minister for Employment Mark Hoban said:

“We know that work experience gives young people vital insights into the world of work, encourages them to aspire to great things, and helps them to prepare for their future.

“Too often in the past, the crazy cornucopia of confusing rules discouraged employers from taking young people on. That’s why we have been working across Government to make sure the rules are clear and easy to understand.”

As a result of cross-government action:

•  The insurance industry has committed to treat work experience students as employees for the purposes of insurance against bodily injury, and confirmed that simply giving work experience opportunities to students will not in itself impact on insurance premiums.

•  The UK HSE has issued guidance providing clarity on employers’ obligations with regard to risk assessments - making it clear that if workplace risk has already been assessed with young people in mind, a business does not need to repeat this for each new student.

•  Department of Education and Ofsted have published a guide to clarify the health and safety responsibilities for educational establishments organizing work experience opportunities.