News | November 3, 2006

HSC/E Publishes Health And Safety Statistics For 2005/06

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has published the latest statistics on work-related ill health, workplace injury and enforcement in Great Britain. ‘Health and Safety Statistics 2005/06' presents the top-level statistics, including reports on progress against the targets set in the ‘Revitalising Health and Safety' strategy.

Work-related ill health

For ill health, there are new figures on self-reported work-related illness from the 2005/06 Labour Force Survey. The statistics also draw on surveillance data from specialist doctors in The Health and Occupation Reporting network (THOR), claims for disablement benefit under the Department for Work and Pensions' Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) Scheme, and deaths from mesothelioma and other occupational diseases.

The main features of the ill health statistics are as follows:

Self-reported ill health

In 2005/06 an estimated 2.0 million people suffered from ill health which they thought was work-related, according to the Labour Force Survey (LFS).
Around three quarters of the cases were musculoskeletal disorders (e.g. upper limb or back problems) or stress, depression or anxiety.

Ill health seen by specialist doctors

Based on data from hospital specialists and occupational physicians in the THOR surveillance schemes, from 2003 to 2005 there were about 22 000 new cases of work-related illness per year. This is a partial estimate as the THOR schemes do not have complete coverage and many of the specialists will only see more serious cases.
As with self-reported cases, mental ill health and musculoskeletal disorders were the most common types of illness: each accounted for just under a third of the total.

Ill health assessed for industrial injuries disablement benefit (IIDB)

Figures for the last three years show that an average of over 7000 cases were assessed for IIDB. The largest categories were vibration white finger, carpal tunnel syndrome and respiratory diseases associated with past exposures to substances such as asbestos and coal dust.

Fatal diseases

Thousands of people die each year from work-related diseases, mostly because of exposures many years previously.
HSE's current estimate is that there are 6000 occupational cancer deaths per year (true figure likely to be between 3000 and 12 000). This is based on old research and is currently being updated.
Deaths from mesothelioma have increased from 153 in 1968 to 1969 in 2004. Latest projections suggest that they will peak somewhere between current levels and 2450 deaths some time between 2011 and 2015.

Workplace fatal and non-fatal injury

For workplace injuries, the key new figures are 2005/06 data on non-fatal injuries reported by employers and others under RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations), supplemented by self-reported injury statistics from the Labour Force Survey.

The main features of the injury statistics are as follows:

Fatal injuries to workers

There were 212 fatal injuries to workers in 2005/06, a decrease of 5% compared to 223 in 2004/05.
Just over 40% occurred in two industries: construction (59) and agriculture, forestry and fishing (33).
The rate of fatal injury declined throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The rate rose to 1.0 per 100 000 workers in 2000/01 and has dropped since then to 0.7 in 2005/06.

Reported non-fatal injuries

28 605 major injuries to employees were reported in 2005/06. The rate of injury was 110.1 per 100 000, down nearly 7% on the previous year. Over one third were caused by slipping and tripping.
There were 117 471 other injuries to employees causing absence of over 3 days. This is equivalent to a rate of 452.2, which is 4% lower than 2004/05. Two fifths were caused by handling, lifting or carrying.

Labour Force Survey and reporting of injuries

The rate of reportable injury estimated from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) was 1200 per 100 000 workers in 2004/05 (three-year average), a statistically significant fall since 2001/02.
Comparing this with the RIDDOR rate of reported major and over-3-day injury, the level of reporting by employers was 49%.

Injuries to members of the public

There were 384 fatal injuries to members of the public in 2005/06, a rise of 4% on the previous year. Around two thirds were due to acts of suicide or trespass on the railways.
There were 15 374 reported non-fatal injuries to members of the public, an increase of 7% on 2004/05.

Revitalising Health and Safety targets

The statistics on health and safety at work inform the measurement of progress against the targets for reducing work-related ill health, injuries and working days lost set in the ‘Revitalising Health and Safety' strategy. HSE's approach to progress measurement is detailed in a Statistical Note published in June 2001; annual progress reports have been published each Autumn since then. All these documents are on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/targets.htm.

HSE statisticians' latest assessments are as follows:

Progress on work-related ill health incidence

The Revitalising Health and Safety target is to reduce the incidence rate of work-related ill health by 20% between 1999/2000 and 2009/10; the pro-rata target for 2005/06 is a 12% reduction.
The evidence suggests that incidence has fallen significantly since 1999/2000 for most categories of work-related ill health, and is on track to meet the ten-year target.
There has also been a significant reduction in 2005/06, the first year of HSE's three-year Public Service Agreement (PSA) target.

Progress on fatal and major injuries

The Revitalising Health and Safety target is to reduce the incidence rate of fatal and major injury by 10% between 1999/2000 and 2009/10; the pro-rata target for 2005/06 is a 6% reduction.
The available sources indicate no clear change since the base year in the rate of fatal and major injury to employees. It is therefore not on track to meet the ten-year target.
There has been a reduction in the last two years including 2005/06, the first year of HSE's three-year Public Service Agreement (PSA) target.

Progress on working days lost

The Revitalising Health and Safety target is to reduce the number of working days lost per worker due to work-related injury and ill health by 30% between 2000-02 and 2009/10; the pro-rata target for 2005/06 is an 18% reduction.
There has been a significant fall in working days lost per worker since the base period and it is probably on track to meet the ten-year target.
There has also been a significant reduction in 2005/06, the first year of HSE's three-year Public Service Agreement (PSA) target.

Enforcement

New statistics were also published on enforcement notices issued and offences prosecuted by HSE and local authorities.

In 2005/06 HSE issued 6383 enforcement notices, 25% fewer than the year before.
Statistics for enforcement notices issued by local authorities are not yet available for 2005/06. Between 2000/01 and 2004/05 the number issued increased by 10% to 6420.
In 2005/06 the number of offences prosecuted by HSE decreased by 23% to 1012 from 1320 in 2004/05.
Statistics for prosecutions by local authorities are not yet available for 2005/06. In 2004/05 there were 332 offences prosecuted, a decrease of 19% compared with 2003/04.

SOURCE: Health and Safety Commission