Accidents in the workplace

As a result of workplace accidents, 144 workers were killed in 2015/16, decreasing to 137 workers in 2016/17. These numbers are worryingly high, however in comparison to 2006/07 there were 247 deaths in the work place. So, it shows that slowly but surely, health and safety is improving.

However, it is worth mentioning the amount of non-fatal workplace injuries– in 2015/16 there were 621,000 workers who experienced non-fatal injuries as a result of a working accident, according to self-reports in Labour Force Survey in 2015/16, and an additional 72,702 injuries as reported by employers.

Out of the self-reported injuries, 200,000 led to the worker being absent from work for 3 days and 152,000 were absent for more than seven days. All 72,702 injuries reported by employers lasted over seven days. According to Healthy and Safety Executive, these injuries cost companies on average 7.2 days of work per case – that’s a huge 4.5 million working days lost. Can businesses afford that loss?

The construction industry is most common for non-fatal and fatal injuries in the work, followed by the agriculture and manufacturing industry. But what was the most common cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries?

Of the 621,000 non-fatal injured workers in 2015/16, 20% were injured when handling, lifting or carrying objects, with 19% injured by slipping or tripping in the workplace and 10% being hit by a moving object – all factors that can be addressed within the workplace to ensure injuries are prevented.

Of the fatal injuries in 2016/17, the most common cause of death in the workplace was being struck by a moving vehicle – of the 137 deaths, 31 of them were caused by a moving vehicle. 25 deaths were caused by falling from a height and 20 deaths when struck by a moving object. Health and safety training and regulations are key for businesses to prevent these accidents.

Workplace sickness

Injuries in the workplace are not the only reason for loss of working days. In 2015/16 there were 1.3 million workers suffering from a work-related illness, of which stress, depression and anxiety (0.5 million workers) and musculoskeletal disorders (0.5 million workers) were the most common illnesses.

According to the Labour Force Survey 2015/16, ill health can cost a business more than workplace injuries. They estimated that there were 25.9 million working days lost due to work-related illness, based on self-reports. But just how much does the loss of working days actually cost businesses?

How much are accidents at work costing a business?

In 2014/15, the combined cost of workplace injuries and work-related ill health cost a huge £14.1 billion – of which £2.8 billion is paid out by employers. 4.8 billion was spent on workplace injury costs, 34% of the annual bill. This is usually paid as statutory sick pay. In some cases, employees might be paid extra whilst on the sick depending on the nature and severity of the workplace accident and injury. The other 66% of the annual bill, £9.3 billion, was paid out for work-related illnesses.

However, this does not cover accident at work claims from employees to their employer or any potential work-related illness. If employers are already paying out £2.8 billion in costs, can they afford to pay out additional costs in claims?

This shows how important health and safety in the workplace is, not just for your employees but also the company bank balance. And with 92 members of the public also killed in 2016/17 due to work-related activities, it is clear that it is not just the safety of your employees that should be at the forefront of any company policy, but the public too.