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Fatal injuries statistics for 2005/2006

A HSE Health and Safety Executive product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Aug 18, 2006

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has published the latest detailed statistics on workplace fatal injuries in 2005/06 - Statistics of Fatal Injuries 2005/2006.

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has published the latest detailed statistics on workplace fatal injuries in 2005/06 - Statistics of Fatal Injuries 2005/2006.

The document can be found on the HSE website.

Fatal Injuries to Workers.

In 2005/06, the figures show that the number of fatally injured workers decreased by 5% to 212, from 223 in 2004/05.

The rate of fatal injury also decreased by 5% to 0.71 fatalities per 100,000 workers, from 0.75.

This is the lowest rate on record.

There was a general downward trend in the rate in the 1990s, however it has risen twice since then, in 2000/01 and in 2003/04.

Of the 212 fatal injuries, 92 (43%) occurred in the two industries of construction (59) and agriculture, forestry and fishing (33).

Falling from a height continues to be the most common kind of accident, accounting for 22% of fatal injuries to workers in 2005/06.

The number of fatal injuries of this kind decreased in 2005/06 from 53 to 46, the lowest on record, and in particular falls from over 2 metres have reduced to 26, from an average of 48 per year over the past five years.

Being struck by a moving vehicle, and being struck by a moving or falling object, are the next most common kinds of fatal injury.

In 2003, the most recent year for which comparable data are available, the rate of fatal injury to workers in Great Britain was the lowest of European member states.

Industries.

In agriculture, the number of fatal injuries to workers decreased to 33 in 2005/06 from 42 in 2004/05.

The rate of fatal injury to workers also decreased from 10.4 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers in 2004/05 to 8.1 in 2005/06, although this rate has fluctuated in recent years with no discernible trend.

In construction in 2005/06, there were 59 fatal injuries to workers, compared to 69 in the previous year, a reduction of 14%.

The rate of fatal injury to construction workers fell by a similar proportion, to 3.0 per 100,000 workers from 3.5, and continuing the downward trend of recent years.

This is now the lowest level on record.

In manufacturing, the number of fatal injuries to workers increased in 2005/06, from 43 to 45.

The rate also increased, from 1.3 to 1.4 per 100,000.

The injury rate has fluctuated in recent years, with no overall trend.

In the large services sector, both the number and rate of fatal injury increased slightly in 2005/06, when compared to the previous year.

There were 69 fatalities in 2005/06 compared to 67, with corresponding injury rates of 0.29 and 0.28.

Of the 69 deaths in 2005/06, 16 occurred in land transport; 8 in retail trade; 7 in sewage and refusal disposal activities and 6 in the sale, maintenance and repair of motor vehicles.

The services sector comprises a wide range of activities, and numbers of fatal injuries fluctuate year-on-year in many industries.

In the extractive and utility supply industries, fatal injuries increased from 2 in 2004/05 to 6 in 2005/06.

Rates of injury also increased, from 1.2 to 3.6.

However, yearly comparisons can fluctuate due to the relatively small numbers of fatalities and employment involved.

Fatal Injuries to Members of the Public.

The provisional number of members of the public fatally injured in 2005/06 was 384, of which 254 resulted from acts of suicide or trespass on railways.

Comparable figures for 2004/05 were 370 and 253 respectively.