The number of employees being killed or injured at work is at its lowest level since the inception of the modern health and safety system 35 years ago. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 was introduced on 1 October 1974, a year in which 651 people were killed in work related accidents.
Last year, statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showed 180 people died as a result of work based activity. Since the legislation was introduced, there has been a steady decline in work related deaths, but HSE officials say that people are still dying as a result of preventable accidents at work. The Act was brought in by the then Secretary of State Michael Foot, and in the years since, the number of fatal injuries to employees has fallen by 73%, while the number of reported non-fatal injuries by 70%. The most recent statistics show Britain had the lowest rate of fatal injuries in the EU, averaging 2.5 fatalities per 100,000 workers.
Whilst the reduction in heavy industry is one of the factors that has affected the statistics, the introduction of a law to protect workers lives and safety at work has clearly helped to drive improvements and save lives. The HSE say its mission is an ongoing challenge, but one it relishes as much today as it did 35 years ago. The organisation launched a new strategy this year to co-ordinate the drive for those working in the health and safety system and continue to force down death and injury in the workplace.
Judith Hackitt, Chair of the HSE said, "Since the introduction of the Act, safety performance has improved by more than 70%. We now have one of the best combined health and safety records of any country in the world. While we can rightly be proud of this reduction, the sobering statistic is that 180 people who left for work last year did not return home to their families, and several more suffered early deaths caused by disease and illness which was linked to their work. Our aim has always been and will always be to keep reducing the amount of needless, work related deaths year on year."
