Archive for the 'Fatal accidents' Category

The Health and Safety Executive’s recent statistics show that for 2007/2008 there has been a reduction in the number of people who have been killed, injured or made ill by accidents at work.

Figures suggest that the incidents of work accident injury have fallen by approximately 9% since 2000, and that this trend is continuing.  Fatal workplace accidents have also reduced by around 5%.  The number of reported work related diseases appears to have also fallen, however there has been an increase in asbestos related diseases, such as Mesothelioma.

Companies are failing to invest in inexpensive and simple measures that would prevent their workforce having work accidents while working at height.  Many accident work claims for personal injury compensation are as a result of poor management, broken or inadequate equipment, or structural failures.  Records indicate that incidents involving a fall from a height currently result in more workplace deaths than from any other type of work accident.

Some employers appear to believe that workplace height regulations apply only to sizeable heights.  This is wrong, as anything above one metre is classed as “working at height”.  Many work accidents result in injuries when there is a fall at “low height”, such as when truck drivers unload goods from HGVs.

In 2005 mechanic Robert Earl died of the asbestos related disease Mesothelioma.  In 1969 he had spent approximately 8 months working at a local garage, where he was exposed to asbestos in the brake linings of the commercial vehicles that he was repairing.  A claim was made against the garage by Mr Earl’s Executors, who were successful in recovering injury compensation for his family.

Although the exposure to asbestos in this case was relatively minor, the success of the Mesothelioma claim could set a precedent for others seeking personal injury compensation as a result of limited exposure to asbestos.

A firm has been prosecuted after a work accident in which one of its workers died.  The accident happened in January 2005 when a 60-year-old employee was crushed.

A forklift truck had been going round a corner when its driver performed an emergency stop in order to avoid hitting a staff member.  Due to the sudden braking, a steel coil situated on the forks became dislodged and fell on top of the man, pinning him to the ground.  He later died from his injuries.

As a result of this accident at work IP, a firm which is located in Uxbridge, was given a fine of £50,000 and ordered to pay £6,000 in costs at a hearing at Leeds Crown Court.  The company pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulations.

The Health and Safety Commission Report for 2006/7 shows that the provisional figure for the number of workers who were fatally injured in an accident at work during 2006/07 is 241.  This corresponds to a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 workers.  In 2005/06 the figure was 217, ie 0.72 per 100,000 workers, which was the lowest annual rate recorded.

Even though fatal accidents are generally decreasing, the rate of that decrease has slowed over the last 15 years, and in fact there has been very little change during the last 5 years.

The agricultural and construction industries account for around 46% of all fatal work accidents.

Falling from a height is the most common type of accident, and in 2006/7 resulted in 19% of the recorded fatalities.  However, over the last 10 years there has been a significant reduction in the severity of injuries in this area.