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The total number of workers killed in work-related accidents in Great Britain has fallen to 123, a decrease of 22 fatalities on the previous year, but the fatal injury rate ‘remains broadly in line with pre-pandemic levels’, according to the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) provisional figures for 2021/2022.
The latest statistics, which covers from April 2021 to March 2022, reveal that the profile of fatal injuries by industry sector is broadly similar to that for the five-year period starting in 2017/2018, with construction; agriculture, forestry and fishing; manufacturing; and transportation and storage accounting for 73% of fatal injuries.
In 2021/2022, falls from a height topped the table and accounted for 24% of all worker deaths, with a total of 29 fatalities. Struck by a moving vehicle, with 23 fatal injuries, came second and accounted for 19% of total deaths. Struck by moving, including flying/falling, object, accounted for 18 fatal injuries, or 15% of all worker deaths.
Looking at the age of the workforce, the report notes that around a quarter (24%) of the fatalities in the latest statistics were workers aged 60 or over, which is significant because the report notes that they only make up 11% of the workforce.
On the same day, the HSE also published its annual figures for mesothelioma. The data for 2020 shows that 2,544 people died from the asbestos-causing disease and this is slightly above the average of 2,523 deaths recorded over the previous eight years.
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