Economy Minister Nigel Dodds has said this month that he is doing everything in his power to reduce the level of deaths and injuries in the workplace. Mr Dodds was speaking at the release of the latest figures which showed that 157 people have lost their lives at work in Northern Ireland over the past ten years. This was in response to criticism from Sinn Fein that the death toll needs to be cut along with the introduction of tougher regulations and stricter penalties to punish negligent employers.
Mr Dodds said, "The death toll of 157 people is totally unacceptable and we all have a role to play in protecting the lives of our workers in Northern Ireland. The figures I provided are the number of deaths for both employees and the self-employed. It should also be noted that the farming sector alone constitutes 67, or 43% of the deaths recorded over this ten year period since 1997."
The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSE NI) will continue to actively promote all aspects of occupational health and safety messages and themes to Northern Ireland's workforce, through activities including dedicated conferences, seminars and workshops. In employment situations, should the evidence support a recommendation to prosecute, the HSE NI passes all information to the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland, who make the final determination.
