USRs Urged To Quote Hazards Campaign Health And Safety Stats Rather Than HSE Inaccurate Stats

If you want to know the true costs of bad health and safety implementation by employers in the UK, don’t bother checking with the HSE!

The fact is that the HSE does not even comply with the established code of practice on the collection of statistical information. Further, it excludes, by default, members of the public killed by work activities, work related road traffic injuries and deaths, and work related suicides; to name just three causes of work related injuries and deaths.

Whilst every Union Safety Rep is aware of this fact, not every USR is quoting accurate statistics, but rely on the HSE for such information.

After reading this article, USRs should be under no illusions and should refrain from quoting the HSE accident at work statistics.

The UK Statistics Authority published a report in May 2010, which made it clear that the HSE statistics on Health And Safety At Work are NOT all inclusive and therefore inaccurate.

Their May 2010 report states that the:

‘HSE does not produce an overall figure for work-related fatalities in Great Britain.’ and makes recommendations that they ‘investigate the feasibility of producing statistics on the total number of work-related injuries and fatalities’

More accurate estimates by Hazards Campaign and other authorities of work-related deaths including all those NOT reported to the HSE are available.

Union Safety Reps should make themselves aware of a major article on health and safety statistics from the Hazards Campaign. In an article entitled ‘The Whole Story’ which was also published in Safety and Health Practitioner December 2008, Greater Manchester Hazards campaigner Hilda Palmer gives reasoning behind criticism of HSE statistics.

In short she writes:

Hazards Campaign estimates number of work deaths nationally from 1,168 to 1,318 killed in work-related incidents 2010/11:

•171 workers reported to HSE & L.A. under RIDDOR - unreliable figure

•+ Members of the public killed by work activity = 68

•+ Workers killed at sea (31)* and in the air (estimated 20) = 51

•+ About 778 in work-related road traffic incidents lorry drivers + some of those on their way to work + others killed in those road traffic incidents

•+ about 100-250 suicides due to the pressures of work (suicides up 10% last year)

*Merchant seafarers killed UK water and on board UK ships, plus those killed in Fishing in UK waters.

Hazards and other authority estimates of those killed by work-related illness each year

• Includes 18,000 by work-related cancer at 12% (8-16%) at least 5,000 due to asbestos cancers

• Heart Disease – 20% of deaths are work-related due to stress, long hours, shift work = up to 20,000

• Respiratory Illness -15-20% of obstructive lung disease = about 6,000

• Other diseases inc. restrictive lung diseases = about 6,000

• Giving Total of up to 50,000 per year-

The TUC estimates about 20,000 but accepts this is the lower end of realistic. WORK KILLS on massive scale. This government's slashing of enforcement and regulation of health and safety is deadly.

We need to say: Stop it you are killing us!

The UK Statistics Authority in their Report 42 on Assessments of compliance with Code of Practice for official statistics - Statistics on Health and Safety at Work (produced by the HSE) Published May 2010 can be downloaded, using search category 'Health And Safety Campaigns', from the E-Library Database

Using the same search category, the Hazards report by Hilda Palmer, 'The Whole Story', and Hazards 'We Didn't Vote To Die At Work' campaign article can also be downloaded from the E-Library Database

Source: Hazards

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