UK Major Workplace Injuries Hit All-Time Low on Less Amputations, Fractures and Burns

Major workplace injuries in the UK have dramatically dropped to an all-time low for 2012 to 2013 as employees suffered from far less amputations, fractures, and burns.

According to the Health and Safety Executive, the regulator for workplace health and safety, there has been an 11% decrease in the amount of workplace injuries compared to 2011/12.

The provisional statistics revealed that in Britain, between April 2012 and March 2013, 19,707 major injuries, including amputations, fractures and burns, were reported - a drop from 22,094 in the previous year.

The research also found that 148 workers were fatally injured over the period, down from 171 in 2011/12 (Figure 1).

"This year's figures demonstrate that Britain continues to be improve its health and safety performance, with important falls in the number of workers fatally injured and the number of employees suffering major injuries," Judith Hackitt, chair of the HSE, said.

She added: "But we still see too many deaths and injuries occur in the work place many of which could have been prevented through simple safety measures. Getting this right is the key to ensuring that everyone can make it home safely at the end of their working day."

The HSE said there has also been little change in the industries in which workers are most likely to be injured by their jobs.

Construction (156.0 major injuries per 100,000 employees) agriculture (239.4 major injuries per 100,000 employees) and waste and recycling (369.8 major injuries per 100,000 employees) are among the higher risk sectors.