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Counting the cost

21st September 2006
Page 24
Page 24, 21st September 2006 — Counting the cost
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

The good news is that fewer people are being killed at work — but there is no room for complacency.

Fatal accident statistics

Latest statistics released by the Health and Safety Commission for 2005/06 show there were 212 fatal injuries in British workplaces, 5% down on the previous year 43% involved construction (59) and agriculture, forestry and fishing (33).

In the services sector, which includes road transport, there were 69 fatalities16 involved road transport, two more than in 2004/05. This gives an injury rate of 0.28 per 100,000 workers.

The biggest killer continues to be falls from height, which account for 22% of fatal injuries. However, the number of fatal injuries from this kind of accident fell from 53 to 46the lowest on record, says the Health and Safety Executive. It is particularly pleased that falls from more than 2m have been reduced to 26, from an average of 48 a year over the past five years.

Being struck by a moving1_ L. L 96.97 97;18 991•0 DIV 02,.0 SIM vehicle, or a moving or falling object, are the next most common kinds of fatal injury.

In the services sector the three most dangerous industries are sewage and refuse disposal: road transport: and machinery rental. Over the past three years refuse disposal had 17 fatal accidents, machinery rental seven and road transport 55. They account for 41% of all fatal injuries in the services sector during the past three years.

The HSC notes that the fatal injury rate for the sewage and waste disposal sector (5.7 per 100,000 employees) is nearly 20 times the overall rate in the sector for the latest three-year period.

There were nine fatalities resulting from falls from height, nine less than 2003/04. There were three falls from more than 2m in 2005/06 compared with 10 in 2004/05 and 11 in 2003/04.

The HSC says there has also been a fall in the number of fatalities caused by being struck by moving/falling objects down to eight in 2005/06 from 11 the year before. However, the number of workers killed by moving vehicles rose to 14 in 2005/06. In this sector "vehicles" generally means forklifts or trucks.

And the number of fatal accidents to truck drivers will almost certainly be higher than recorded by the HSC as the statistics do not include fatal road accidents involving people travelling in the course of their work.

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