The number of workplace fatalities has dropped to a record low
figure, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said.
A total of 151 workers were killed at work between April 1 2009
and March 31 2010 - a welcome drop on the 178 workers who died
through
work accidents a year earlier, and a significant decrease on
the 220 deaths per year that have been witnessed on average for the
past five years.
HSE chair Judith Hackett said that while the statistics were
welcome, they might not represent an accurate picture of the UK
workplace which has seen activity in some sectors vanish as the
recession took its toll.
"It's really very encouraging to see a further reduction in
workplace fatalities in the past year. This is performance which
owes much to good practice, leadership and employee engagement.
"No doubt the recession has resulted in lower levels of activity
in some sectors and a decrease in the numbers of new, inexperienced
recruits has also contributed to this fall in fatalities.
"We should also remember that 151 families are mourning the loss
of someone who last year went out to work and never came home."
Neal Stone, head of policy and public affairs at the British
Safety Council, said: "We must never forget the thousands of
workers still living with and dying from the legacy of work-related
diseases, such as
mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos."