For employers, Health & Safety is vitally important if a company is to survive and prosper. It only takes one problem to create knock-on effects that can seriously damage the future of companies and even lead to imprisonment. Listed here you will see some key statistics that you should be aware of …
Fatal injuries
During 2007/8 there were 229 fatal injuries to workers.
Other injuries
During 2007/8 employers reported 136,771 other injuries to workers, often caused by slips, trips and falls, manual handling, and work-related stress.
The most common injuries reported are:
- Slipping and tripping
- Manual handling
- Falling from heights
- Being struck by a moving or falling object
So how do these injuries affect businesses? ...
Ill health
In 2007/8 an estimated 2.1 million people in Great Britain were suffering from an illness which they believed was caused or made worse by their current or past work. Of these, 1.3 million cases were suffered by people working during the year, of which 563,000 were new cases. Of the 1.3 million cases reported, musculoskeletal disorders and stress were the most commonly cited issues.
Each year thousands of people die from work-related diseases mainly due to exposures many years ago. The number of cancer deaths has to be estimated rather than counted. HSE is currently updating its estimates but the emerging information suggests that the annual number of work-related cancer deaths is likely to be in excess of 6,000.
About 4,000 cancer deaths each year are due to past exposure to asbestos.
Working days lost
In 2007/8 an estimated 34 million working days were lost overall - 28 million due to work-related ill health and 6 million due to workplace injury.
Enforcement
In 2007/8 there were 1,028 offences prosecuted by the HSE and there were 354 offences prosecuted by local authorities.
Company image
A MORI poll for the British Safety Council has shown that a third of senior business people in the UK expect to see a 'substantial fall' of between 10 and 25% in their company's share price if they were successfully prosecuted under proposed new legislation to make companies accountable in criminal law where it can be shown that the company is responsible for a person's death. One in ten Board directors foresee a 'major fall' in company share prices, of more than a quarter, in such an event.
Insurance
Insurers, brokers and lobby groups estimate that premiums for employers liability insurance will continue to rise this year, and many more firms will be refused cover altogether. Smaller businesses are hit particularly hard because they have not been able to demonstrate to insurers that they have been looking at Health and Safety.
So, now you’ve seen those reasons for considering health and safety issues, you’ll need to read on to see why MESH Consultants are the right company to consult in order to safeguard your employees and future prosperity of your business.
