The provisional annual data for work-related fatal injuries revealed that 147 workers were fatally injured between April 2018 and March 2019 (a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 workers).
Following the release, HSE Chair Martin Temple commented:
“Today’s release of workplace fatality statistics is a reminder that despite the UK’s world leading position in health and safety, we cannot become complacent as we seek to fulfil our mission in preventing injury, ill health and death at work.”
The three most common causes of fatal injuries continue to be; workers falling from height (40), being struck by a moving vehicle (30) and being struck by a moving object (16), accounting for nearly 60 per cent of fatal injuries in 2018/19.
The new figures continued to highlight the risks to older workers; 25 per cent of fatal injuries in 2018/19 were to workers aged 60 or over, even though such workers made up only around 10 per cent of the workforce.
In addition, there were also 92 members of the public fatally injured in incidents connected to work in 2018/2019, approximately a third of which took place on railways.
Fatal injuries to workers by industry:
Agriculture, forestry & fishing 32
Construction 30
Manufacturing 26
Wholesale, retail, motor repairs;
Accommodation & food 18
Transport and storage 16
Admin & support services 10
Waste 7
Others 8
Main kind of fatal accidents for workers:
Falls from height 40
Struck by moving vehicle 30
Struck by moving object 16
Contact with moving machinery 14
Trapped by something collapsing/
overturning 11
