The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has recently published provisional annual statistics for work-related fatal accidents in Great Britain’s workplaces.

Fatalities have apparently more than halved over the past 20 years, however provisional figures for 2015/16 show a slight increase in the number of people killed at work – 144, compared to 142 the previous year.

The HSE has called on all sectors to learn lessons to ensure workers return home safe from work.

“One death at work or life needlessly shortened, is one too many and behind every statistic lies a real story of loss and heartbreak and families left to grieve,” said Martin Temple, HSE Chair.

“Britain has one of the best health and safety systems in the world, but we should always be looking to improve and to prevent incidents that cost lives,” he added.

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

• Forty three workers died in construction, the same as the average for the previous five years.
• In agriculture there were 27 deaths (compared to the five-year average of 32).
• In manufacturing there were 27 deaths (compared to five-year average 22), but this figure includes three incidents that resulted in a total of eight deaths.
• There were six fatal injuries to workers in waste and recycling, compared to the five-year average of seven, but subject to considerable yearly fluctuation.

There were also 103 members of the public fatally injured in accidents connected to work in 2015/16, of which 36 (35%) related to incidents occurring on railways.

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