GREAT BRITAIN Sees Record Lows in Workplace Deaths

A dramatic drop is seen in workers killed (3) at work in Great Britain’s North East between April 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010, compared to an average of 8 work-related deaths in the past five years in the region, and 9 fatal injuries in 2008/09 according to new figures released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Across Britain, the number of people killed at work has fallen to a new record low with 151 workers dying at work in 2009/10 – down 15% on the previous lowest total of 178 in the year before.

The North East's top health and safety official, Pam Waldron, Head of Operations, noted, "It is heartening to see such a reduction in the number of work-related deaths across the North East, but it is still unacceptable three people failed to return home from work last year. (WCxKitz)

"Many of these deaths could have been avoided if simple and sensible precautions had been in place, and if workers were more involved in devising the solutions to reduce risks.

"We will continue to promote a sensible approach to health and safety and take action to improve standards of risk management in the workplace."

According to Judith Hackitt, the HSE chair, "It's really very encouraging to see a further fall in workplace fatalities in the past year. This is performance which owes much to good practice, leadership and employee engagement. No doubt the recession has resulted in lower levels of activity in some sectors and a decrease in the numbers of new inexperienced recruits has also contributed to this fall in fatalities.

"Being one of the best health and safety performers in the world means continuing to strive to drive these numbers down further – not getting complacent about what we've collectively achieved and recognizing the new challenges as we emerge from the recession.

"As with all health and safety statistics, today's announcement is a combination of encouraging news about improvement but also a salutary reminder of the tragedies of lives lost at work."

Author Rebecca Shafer, President, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers’ Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: Robert_Elliott@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com or 860-553-6604.

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