Statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have revealed that the number of workers fatally injured at work in the past year has fallen.
Provisional data shows that 148 workers were fatally injured between April 2012 and March 2013, compared with 172 in the previous year.
The new figures show that the number of workers fatally injured have decreased in the construction and agricultural sector, however there was an increase in the number of workers suffering fatal injuries in the waste and recycling sector.
The overall rate of fatal injury has dropped to 0.5 per 100,000 workers, below the five-year average of 0.6.
Judith Hackitt, the HSE Chair, said, "Although the number of people killed at work has dropped significantly, last year 148 people failed to return home to their loved ones. The fact that Britain continues to have one of the lowest levels of workplace fatalities in Europe will be of little consolation to those who lose family members, friends and work colleagues."
She continued, "HSE is striving to make health and safety simpler and clearer for people to understand so that more people do what is required to manage the real risks that cause death and serious injury. We all have a part to play to ensure people come home safe at the end of the working day and good leadership, employee engagement and effective risk-management are key to achieving this."
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