In some sectors, injuries at work are unfortunately relatively common, while other sectors are seemingly free from accidents and injuries. Thankfully in the UK there are certain guidelines and processes that businesses must follow in order to protect their employees. And PalletTrucksUK, one of the country’s optimum providers of pallet trucks, stackers and lift tables to a range of sectors, is reiterating the need for employers to take precautions to ensure the safety of their employees, after the fatal injury statistics 2015/16 were published.
According to the report, the provisional number of workers fatally injured in 2015/16 is 144. This correlates to a rate of fatal injury of 0.46 deaths per 100,000 workers.
While there were reportedly 67 members of the public fatally injured in accidents connected to work. However this does not include any incidents that relate to railways, and those enforced by the Care Quality Commission.
Phil Chesworth from PalletTrucksUK, said, “The number of fatal injuries taking place as a result of work is incredibly worrying. It’s imperative that employers take the necessary steps, and invest in machinery and equipment in order to ensure they protect their employees as well as themselves against serious accidents that could cause significant injury.”
Over the latest 20 years, there has been a downward trend in the rate of fatal injuries, decreasing significantly since the 1990s. However in recent years, that number has shown signs of levelling off. Highlighting a seven percent drop in injuries over the previous five years, this year has bucked the trend and does show a slight increase on last year. For 2014/15, the finalised figure was 142 fatal injuries, which corresponds to a rate of 0.46 deaths per 100,000 workers.
It is worth noting however that the figures for 2015/16 are provisional at present, covering the twelve months 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016. The figures will be finalised in July 2017, following any necessary adjustments.
PalletTrucksUK has been one of the UK’s leading suppliers of warehouse equipment for over 30 years. The perfect addition to manual handing workforces, good quality equipment such as pallet trucks, stackers, platform lifts and moving skates can help to minimise the number of fatalities in the workplace.
