Geoffrey Podger, chief executive of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned that the industry should prepare for bad news in next year's health and safety statistics. Speaking at the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) 2007 Conference, he said that early indications show that the rate of fatal accidents in the construction industry could show a 10% to 15% increase on this year's "best ever" 59 deaths. "We have seen a reduction in the rate of fatal injuries and it fell to three for every 100,000 workers, the lowest on record. There has been good progress in meeting the targets and the industry is taking ownership of health and safety performance."
He added, "However, we think the rate is creeping back up again. Our figures are still provisional but we estimate a possible rise in fatal accidents and reported major injuries. This shows that continued vigilance is essential in this high risk industry." There was also a warning for those working in developing industries, like recycling and waste management. The number of injuries in these sectors is consistently rising, with the recycling industry's accident rate being four to five times higher than the average, and the number of fatal injuries ten times higher. Work has already started between the industry and the HSE to see how these figures can be brought down.
