Alex Botha, chief executive of the British Safety Council, commented: “We note encouraging signs of sustained improvement in preventing injury and ill-health in Great Britain’s workplaces. As HSE chair Judith Hackitt noted, the reduction in the number of people injured and made ill by work, against a backdrop of tough economic conditions, is to be welcomed.
“These statistics should act as a constant reminder to all of us of the sad reality of thousands of employees being injured and made ill and those still dying needlessly as a result of preventable workplace injuries and work-related diseases. We must continue to sustain the improvements made over the last ten years in preventing workplace injury and ill-health occurrences,” remarked Botha.
“The figures released reveal the human cost of workplace injury and ill-health,” he continued. “The cost to society is also immense – and estimated £13.4 billion in 2011/12 – over half of which directly impacts individuals. The British Safety Council notes with concern the significant reduction in the number of enforcement notices served by both HSE and Local authorities in 2011/12 – a 21% reduction on the previous year. It is our view that enforcement continues to play an important part in helping to ensure that our health and safety laws are complied with and the good standards of health and safety management are maintained,” he concluded.
