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Manufacturing has second-highest number of workplace injuries

30 April 2020

It is vital for a company to do everything in its power in order to avoid workplace accidents and injuries. In failing to protect their workers, businesses can cause a great deal of pain and distress to affected employees and their families.

With World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2020 taking place on 28th of April, health and safety training provider CE Safety analysed data collected by the UK’s Health and Safety Executive under RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) between the financial years 2014/15 and 2018/19.

According to HSE statistics, the combined fields of public administration and defence, compulsory social security, education, human health and social work activities sees the highest number of non-fatal workplace injuries of all kinds, with 20,961 reported.

The industry with the second highest number of injuries is manufacturing. This field sees 12,151 injuries reported.

Next up is another collection of fields - wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles, accommodation and food service activities. These industries combined saw 11,852 injuries in the five years over which the data was collected.

Transportation and storage reported 9,780 cases. There is another significant drop at this point, with the construction industry seeing 4,872 injuries between 14/15 and 18/19.

Industry

Number of Injuries

Public administration and defence; compulsory social security; education; human health and social work

20,961

Manufacturing

12,151

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles; accommodation and food service

11,852

Transportation and storage

9,780

Construction

4,872

Information and communication; financial and insurance; real estate; professional, scientific and technical; administrative and support services

4374

Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities

2,023

Arts, entertainment and recreation; other service activities

1,845

Agriculture, forestry and fishing

831

Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply

287

Mining and quarrying

232

After summarising the industries in which employees are most likely to experience a workplace injury, CE Safety explored the most common types of injury across all fields.

The most likely injury in any industry is one caused by a slip, trip or fall on the same level. 20,022 cases of this kind were recorded in the five years covered by the HSE’s data.

Handling, lifting or carrying injuries are numbering 13,940. Injuries caused by an individual being struck by a moving, flying or falling object are the next most common, numbering at 7,089.

Following this are injuries caused by acts of violence towards or between employees. This saw 5,422 injuries over the reporting period.

Falls from a height are very close behind in number, with 5,296 injuries of this kind reported. 

Cause of injury

Number of injuries

Slips, trips or falls on same level

20,022

Injured while handling, lifting or carrying

13,940

Struck by moving, including flying/falling, object

7,089

Acts of violence

5,422

Falls from a height

5,296

Contact with moving machinery

2,615

Strike against something fixed or stationary

2,451

Struck by moving vehicle

1,640

Exposure to, or contact with, a harmful substance

800

Injured by an animal

648

Trapped by something collapsing/overturning

273

Contact with electricity or electrical discharge

211

Exposure to fire

174

Exposure to an explosion

56

Drowning or asphyxiation

14

Gary Ellis at CE Safety said: “Through the implementation of proper health and safety measures, the acquisition and use of correct protective equipment and the provision of thorough training to all relevant employees, businesses can avoid dangerous accidents and keep their workers safe.”


 
 
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