Jonathan Seymour, Business Leader for HCL Safety, specialist sub-contractor in fall protection and part of MSA Safety, shares his view on the latest provisional statistics on fatalities at work by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
The HSE has revealed alarming statistics on the safety of self-employed workers in the UK – typically working in construction. According to the latest provisional statistics on fatalities at work, the average rate of fatal injury in construction is four times as high as the average rate across all industries.
In comparison to all workplace fatalities, falls from height cause the most fatalities, and one-third of fatalities over the past five years were associated with self-employed workers.
The statistics also highlight per 100,000 workers, 60-64 year-olds average at 0.97 fatalities, with those aged 65+ averaging 2.10. The lowest fatalities are for those ages 16-24.
Jonathan Seymour, Business Leader for HCL Safety, said: “As a business we are shocked and deeply saddened by the statistics revealed by the HSE.
“With work at height legislation being more stringent in comparison to previous years, I would expect these figures to be a lot lower. Whether the reasoning be due to working at height seeming to be a complex subject, or attitudes when it comes to health and safety, something has got to change.
Seymour continued: “Looking at the statistics around age is particularly interesting. Across the industry, education and training is being ramped up to ensure safety remains the number one priority. This is clear to see in vocational education for example, where safety training is now incorporated into the teaching syllabus. This has had a knock-on effect where those in the younger age brackets now expect higher standards from their employers. We can see this correlating with the statistics – fatal injuries are at their lowest for those aged 16-24.
He concluded: “It is important that self-employed workers understand what working at height means and what precautions need to be put into place to help ensure risks are managed as best as possible. This isn’t just about wearing the correct PPE or being aware of the ‘usual’ risks that could crop up on a job. Each job is unique and so the precautions taken prior should also be specific to that individual job.
“Self-employed workers need to be competent enough to carry out work in the safest way. In order to do so, risks should be managed as best as possible, thorough training needs to be taken and the correct equipment should be used to complete the task in hand.”
