HSE Annual Summary 2021
Last month, the Health and Safety Executive published their latest annual Health and Safety Summary.
This report includes key facts and statistics which relate to various aspects of Health and Safety in the workplace, looking at topics such as injuries, mental health, and sickness.
For the first time, the 2021 edition reports on COVID-19, measuring the impact on workers and industries. Interestingly, the report also looks at COVID statistics which may have been caused inside the workplace, highlighting the importance of safe and compliant working conditions.
The report also addresses the reduction in figures against certain factors (such as workplace injury), noting: “Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the rate of self-reported non-fatal injury to workers showed a generally downward trend. In 2020/21 the rate was lower than the 2018/19 pre-coronavirus levels.”.
Key points
Looking at the report, we picked out our own key points which highlight the importance of safety in the workplace.
Highest Workplace Injuries by Industry
Last year, the top four industries with the highest rate of injury were:
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing
- Construction
- Accommodation/food service activities
- Wholesale/retail trade; repair of motor vehicles
All of the aforementioned industries have an injury rate that is classified as ‘statistically significant – higher’ than others within the list, showing a large gap between those and the others recorded.
We believe that in using the correct hand protection, you are able to mitigate many workplace injuries which may have added to the above figures…
For areas where the risk cannot be fully protected against, you are able to provide ‘damage control’ by wearing adequate and compliant protection.
Work-related Stress, Depression, and Anxiety
Over recent years the number of reported cases for work-related stress, depression, and anxiety showed an increasing trend. This, unfortunately, has only increased with the addition of COVID-19 and related stresses.
EU Comparison
The summary report notes that “The UK consistently has one of the lowest rates of fatal injury across the EU. Compared to other large European economies, the 2018 UK fatal injury rate was a similar order as Germany, and lower than France, Spain, Italy, Poland, and the EU average.”.
Looking at ‘fatal injuries in large EU economies’, ‘self-reported work-related injuries resulting in sick leave’, or, ‘self-reported work-related health problems resulting in sick leave’ alone; the UK scores in the two lowest results.
Click here to download your copy of the summary
If you have any hand protection requirements or believe we could help you reduce your workplace injuries, please don’t hesitate to contact our Sales Team!
