Launching the latest work related fatal injury statistics this month, Health and Safety Commission Chair Sir Bill Callaghan said the loss of 241 lives is unacceptable and issued a fresh challenge to industry to place safety at the top of its priorities and do more to protect the work force. Sir Callaghan stated, "It is disappointing to see the overall number of deaths has risen. We have worked hard with industry and trade unions over the past few years to bring the number down. Despite all the negative stories written and told about over-bureaucracy and banning fun, in reality trying to stop the tragedies we are talking about today is what health and safety is all about."
The latest statistics suggest that the provisional figure for the number of workers fatally injured in 2006/07 is 241, which corresponds to a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 workers, In 2005/06, the figures were 217 and 0.72 respectively, which were the lowest on record. This indicates an overall increase of 11% since last year, however a long-term downward trend is still clear as the number of fatalities has consistently decreased over the last 15 years and there has been little change over the last five.
Of the main sectors, construction has the highest total of fatal injuries and accounts for 31% of all fatalities to workers. Other industries such as agriculture, waste and recycling and issues such as the protection of vulnerable workers, particularly migrant workers, also pose significant challenges.
