The Workplace fatality figures released by the Health and Safety Executive for 2020/21 detail an increase of workplace fatalities from 113 (2019/20) to 142 (2020/21)

The latest statistics show the continuing failure in the workplace with workers either not following the applied control measures or businesses not implementing suitable and sufficient systems to protect the workforce from harm while at work.

The statistics only include the worst event resulting from a health and safety failure – Death to a worker while at work.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show The three most common causes of fatal injuries in 2021 continued to be:

• Workers falling from height (35).
• Being struck by a moving vehicle (25), and
• Being struck by a moving object (17).

Those three causes of death account for more than half of fatalities in 2020/21.

Upon reviewing these latest statistics, Safety PAL (PLAN ACT LEARN) feels a genuine need to help businesses use these workplace fatality statistics to prevent harm in their organisation and protect their business owners.

Workplace fatalities increase by 25%

These recent fatality statistics from the HSE for 2020/21 detail an increase of above 25%.

Statistics affect us all, and they are paramount in the world we live in today.

Statistics ensure we are fully informed about people and businesses around us, which affect our daily life.

They also fuel solutions and innovative ideas.

Why are statistics vital?

Statistics play a vital part in many areas of our lives daily, some we may not even be aware.

The data collected is crucial and one of the biggest reasons behind making discoveries.

Statistics also help us make better-informed decisions – a decision made without supporting evidence or proof could be misguided and, in some cases, catastrophic in the health and safety cases which form part of these statistics.

COVID-19 vaccinations statistics:

New vaccinations would not be as effective if robust statistics were not available for the scientist to analyse.

Without statistics, governments would not be able to make informed and important decisions.

The array of statistics and data medical teams had access to allowed them to expedite a robust and protected solution.

Weather statistics:

Technology allows forecasters to input statistics into powerful computers ensuring accurate predictions are produced, helping people and businesses across the globe control many day-to-day activities.

Without using statistics, predications would contain more risk, less accuracy and just as valuable as looking out the window on any given morning.

How statistics affect our Personal and Business Insurance:

Insurers calculate our insurance premiums from extensive statistics acquired from years of accident and claims data.

The insurers and underwriters use these statistical models to measure the risk of providing our insurance for the forthcoming period.

People and businesses disconnected from us will affect our insurance premiums. 

Statistics help with accurate predictions, secured premiums and defining areas which are more at risk or less vulnerable.

Workplace Statistics In Health and Safety.

As the key areas above, business owners and health and safety professionals also need to utilise more statistics from outside and inside their organisation.

Valuable and relevant data collated will help these business directors better understand problems and create (utilise) solutions to prevent harm and protect their business from prosecution. 

Many businesses continue to look for ways to solve problems by using resources, time, and money. Still, this spent energy could be useless without valuable statistics.

The person ultimately responsible for health and safety will always be a senior director – the duty holder. It is imperative that responsible persons best utilise the data available to them from inside and outside the organisation to make calculated decisions, creating protection and preventing harm.

These statistics give the business owners a greater understanding of their business and businesses around them; this helps fuel better decisions, more robust control measures and auditable proof, which is vital when defending and civil or legal claim. 

Without a direct connection to statistics improving technology and delivering calculated decisions, hope would continue to lead decisions and increase workplace fatalities.

Statistics and Safety PAL (PLAN ACT LEARN)

More than the Health and Safety Executive Statistics (HSE) workplace fatalities statistics collated over an annual term, with Safety PAL implemented in your business, you can instantly create valuable statistics, data, and evidence built reports.

With a click of the button, Safety PAL will provide you and your business owners, duty holders, and responsible persons with reports and statistics collated from real-time live data:

• workers’ interaction
• training, 
• and experience. 

Having access to instant workplace statistics will be vital in assisting you to make better-informed decisions and always being proactive with delivering health and safety as legislation requires. Quick access to data and proof will ensure you can successfully defend a legal breach or repudiate a civil claim.

Useful links

• Health and Safety Executive Workplace fatal injuries in Great Britain, 2021 PDF.
  • https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/pdf/fatalinjuries.pdf
• Health and Safety Executive Health and safety statistics 2019/20.
  • https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/
• IOSH – Greater efforts needed to combat older work deaths.
  • https://iosh.com/more/news-listing/greater-efforts-needed-to-combat-older-worker-deaths/