Agriculture related injuries up from last year

Figures published today show slight falls in a number of key areas of workplace ill-health and injury but the agricultural sector recorded 362 major injuries in 2011/12 up from 354.

The provisional statistics published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that in Britain between April 2011 and March 2012:

• 22,433 major injuries such as amputations, fractures and burns, to employees were reported - a rate of 89.90 injuries per 100,000 workers - compared with 24,944 in 2010/11. The average for the past five years is 27,170

• 88,731 other injuries serious enough to keep people off work for four or more days were reported - a rate of 355.5 injuries per 100,000 employees - down from 91,742 the previous year. The average for the past five years is 103,627

• An estimated 1.1 million people said they were suffering from an illness caused or made worse by their work, down from 1.2 million in 2010/11. Of these, 452,000 were new illnesses occurring in-year. The average for the past five years was 1.25 million with an average 554,000 new cases each year

• 173 workers fatally injured – down from 175 the previous year. The average for the past five years was 196 worker deaths per year.

"Any reduction in the number of people being injured or made unwell by their jobs should be welcomed" said Chair of HSE, Judith Hackitt.

"Given the challenging economic conditions which many sectors have faced in recent years it is particularly encouraging to see continued reductions in levels of injury and ill health."

"Britain has earned the reputation of being one of the safest places in Europe to work, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. We need to ensure that we all focus on managing the real risks which lead to serious workplace harm."

There has also been little change in the industries in which workers are most likely to be injured or made unwell by their jobs – with construction (171.8 major injuries per 100,000 employees), agriculture (241.0 major injuries per 100,000 employees) and waste and recycling (397.6 major injuries per 100,000 employees) among the higher risk sectors.

The toll of injury and ill-health resulted in 27 million working days being lost, an average of 16.8 days per case, with 22.7 million days lost to ill-health and 4.3 million days lost to injuries. These figures are up slightly on 2010/11 when 26.4million working days were lost.

Graeme Walker, Head of HSE’s Agriculture Sector, said: "It is generally accepted that agriculture is one of the most challenging sectors in which to work."

"Though Britain compares favourably with other countries in Europe on workplace health and safety, the latest figures for farming clearly illustrate that more work needs to be done."

“Too many lives continue to be lost or damaged. I know that the farming community accepts and wants to address the problem. One of the most important and encouraging developments in recent years has been the way the industry and the people who work in it have shown leadership in tackling it.

“We all have a responsibility to ensure serious workplace risks are reduced and sensibly managed. HSE is committed to working with farmers to raise awareness of the consequences of cutting corners and taking unnecessary risks and the benefits of improving standards.”

The agricultural sector recorded 362 major injuries in 2011/12 up from 354 in 2010/11 and 671 over-3-day injuries, up from 594 in 2010/11. All non fatal injuries saw a nine percent increase from 948 in 2010/11 to 1033 for 2011/12.

Workplace injuries and ill-health (excluding work related cancer) cost society an estimated £13.4billion in 2010/11