On the positive side, the year also featured the lowest number of deaths on record (111). According to RIDDOR reporting, the most common types of fatal accidents were falls from a height (25%), struck by moving vehicle (19%), struck by moving object (13%), trapped by something collapsing/overturning (10%) and contact with moving machinery (8%).
In 2019/20, some 693,000 workers sustained non-fatal injuries, a tenth of which were reported under RIDDOR. The most common types of non-fatal accidents were slips, trips or falls on same level (29%), handling, lifting or carrying (19%), struck by moving object (11%), acts of violence (9%) and falls from a height (8%).
The annual report by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) includes statistics for work-related ill health, workplace injuries, working days lost, enforcement action taken, and the associated costs to Great Britain.
The emergence of COVID-19 as a national health issue at the end of final quarter of 2019/20 does not appear to be the main driver of changes seen in the 2019/20 data, although it is possible that COVID-19 may be a contributory factor.
In addition, there were 38.8 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury.
In response to the report, Sarah Newton, HSE Chair said: “Although Great Britain continues to be up there with the safest places in the world to work, these figures highlight the scale of the challenge HSE currently faces in making Britain an even healthier and safer place to work, this includes our role in the response to the pandemic to ensure workplaces are COVID-19 secure. We must continue to drive home the importance of managing risk and promoting behaviours to ensure employers work right so that workers are able to go home healthy and safe at the end of each day.”
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