Number of workplace fatalities is increasing says HSE

According to new official figures there was a rise in the number of employees killed at work last year. The HSE has released data that shows 171 staff members were killed at work between April 2010 and March 2011, compared to the 147 of the year before, which was the lowest number on record.

The HSE had shown that the rate of deaths in the workplace had risen to 0.6 per cent per 100.000 staff members compared to the 0.5 percentage recorded the year before. HSE chair, Judith Hackitt, said, “The increase in the number of deaths in the last year is disappointing, after an all time low last year. However, we must remember that we still have one of the lowest rates of fatal injury anywhere in Europe.

“The fact that 171 people failed to come home from work to their loved ones last year reminds us all of what we are here to do. It is a stark reminder of the need to ensure that health and safety remains focused on the real risks which exist in workplaces not on trivia and pointless paperwork,” she added.

Ms Hackitt advised all employers to ensure that safety procedures and training were constantly being reviewed as the world of work continued to change.

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