111 people killed at work in the last year

Sadly, the latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have revealed that there were 111 fatal injuries at work in Great Britain in 2019/20. This is however a decrease of 38 from the previous year and is the lowest annual number on record. The 2019/20 figures are currently provisional and will be finalised in July 2021.

Of the 111 workers that were killed in 2019/20, 40 of the fatal accidents happened in the construction injury and 20 happened in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry. The construction industry is one of few sectors which saw an increase in the number of fatal injuries to workers in the last year (40 deaths in 2019/20 compared to a record low of 31 reported in the previous year). However, the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry fatal injuries fell in the last year to the lowest level on record (20), although the industry still accounts for around 20% of all worker deaths.

The main kind of fatality reported was unfortunately as a result of a fall from a height with 29 people losing their life this way. This accounts for around a quarter of all worker deaths over the year.

The latest HSE figures are as set out in the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) but 2 notable exclusions are fatal diseases (including COVID-19) and fatal accidents on non-rail transport systems.

Fatal injuries are thankfully rare events and whilst it is promising that the figures have reduced by 38% in the last year, it is unknown what impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had and if the workplace deaths will unfortunately rise again once the pandemic is over. Whatever happens, one thing we all know is that no one should go to work and not come home because of the work they do. Every worker killed is a tragedy and every life lost at work is one too many.

If you or a member of your family have been seriously injured in a workplace accident that wasn’t your fault, you could be entitled to compensation. Give us a call on 0161 696 6235 to talk to our specialist team today.