How Safe Are You? Industry News with Mass Services

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has recently published its annual report on workplace health and safety based upon the latest statistics for 2007/2008.

The Stats:

There were 229 fatal injuries to employees in the reporting period, a decrease upon the previous year where there were 247 fatalities, but an increase from 2005/2006 where only 217 were reported.

Falls from height remain the key concern and the report notes that there has been little significant improvement in the number of employee fatalities over the last six years.

358 members of the public were killed in the year, although over two-thirds of these (263) were due to acts of suicide or trespass on the railways.

27,976 employees suffered a major injury within the year with over a third of these being caused by slips, trips and falls. This reflects a steady decrease in major injuries over the previous 2 years.

108,795 employees were reported as having 3 or more days absence from work due to a work-related injury. Lifting and carrying accounted for around two-fifths of these injuries with slips, trips and falls accounting for a further quarter. These statistics also reflect a steady decrease over the previous 2 years.

The Penalties:

The Health and Safety Executive reported that they issues 7,715 enforcement notices in 2007/2008 and prosecuted 1137 offences with 82% of these leading to a conviction. The average fine levied in these cases was £12,896.

Local authorities issued 6,960 enforcement notices in 2007/2008 and prosecuted 354 offences with 94% of these leading to a conviction. The average fine for these cases were £7,663.

For further information please visit the HSE website.

Mass Services offer a variety of Surveys and Audits to ensure that your Property and Facilities are managed correctly and comply with all national legislation. For further information please email info@mass-services.com or telephone 0118 977 8560.