The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSE NI) has this month released its Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, covering the period April 2006 to March 2007. It states that over the five years during 2002 and 2007 the number of injuries at work being reported has fallen from 4,467 to 3,524, representing a 21% reduction.
HSE NI Chairman Professor Peter McKie commented, "This is a very significant reduction in the number of reported work-related injuries. Whilst we must always remain cautious against reading too much into statistics, I see the continuing downward trend as a clear endorsement of the innovative and challenging approach being adopted by the HSE NI since its establishment in 1999. This approach is based on three complementary strands; providing advice and assistance, recognising good practice and the relentless pursuit of those who blatantly flout the law."
This annual report provides a comprehensive analysis of the many activities carried out by the HSE NI and details the various successes and targets achieved during 2006/07. HSE NI's field staff carried out over 5,000 inspection and investigation visits last year, and served nearly 250 enforcement notices which either stopped unsafe work or required improvements in working conditions. In addition, they completed four prosecutions and censured one crown body following an investigation into a fatal accident at a water treatment works in Eglinton.
For more information, see the:
