Latest figures published by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) on Wednesday (24/06/09) show that the number of fatal injuries in the workplace in Yorkshire and Humber increased from 16 in 2007-08 to 24 in 2008-09.

The annual average death rate in the workplace for the region has been consistent at 16 workplace deaths per year for the last five years.

Regional Director for HSE Yorkshire and the North East, Dr David Snowball, said that ‘simple and sensible precautions’ might have prevented many of the deaths:

‘The fact that 24 people failed to come home from work in the Yorkshire and Humber region last year because of avoidable safety failings is a tragedy. Families throughout the region have been robbed of their loved ones in incidents that were often entirely preventable.

‘We owe it to them and to the workers who have lost their lives to continue to put the necessary effort into ensuring that risks are properly managed in the workplace.‘

HSE Chair Judith Hackitt said the statistical snapshot offered by the figures from Yorkshire and Humber needed ‘careful analysis’ to help understand why there had been a sudden increase in the region – including the underlying causes and the impact of recession.

‘Statistics on fatal injuries do not give us the whole picture. Work-related ill health is a significant problem and accounts for four times more working days lost than workplace injury, so there is still a major challenge we all face to prevent death, injury and ill health in all of our workplaces.’

The figures for the UK show a 17 per cent decrease overall in fatal injury deaths in the workplace across the UK for 2008-09, compared with figures for 2005-06, when the lowest ever annual death rate of 217 fatal injuries in the workplace was recorded. A total of 180 workplace deaths were recorded in 2008-09.

© 5r1 Limited

Free Work Accident Claim Assessment

If you or a loved one has suffered a work injury from a accident at work, then contact 5r1 Claims. Our expert panel of no win no fee  work accident compensation solicitors can provide you free legal advice on making a work accident compensation claim. 5r1 claims will not ask you to pay if your work accident compensation claim should fail and no money will be deducted from your work accident compensation should you win. Contact 5r1 Claims today to discuss your work accident compensation claim.

Freephone: 0808 222 0101 (lines open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)