The number of deaths in waste and recycling decreased slightly in 2017/18 but the sector has the highest fatal injury rate per 100,000 workers of all industry groups.
Provisional data released yesterday (July 4) by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showed that there were 12 deaths in the waste and recycling field in the financial year between April 2017 and March 2018, down from 14 in the previous 12 months.
The figures for 2016-2017 however did include the single incident at Shredmet recycling in Birmingham in July 2016 which resulted in five deaths (See letsrecycle.com story)
Sector
Another way in which figures are interpreted, according to the HSE, is to consider the fatal injury rate in terms of the number of fatalities per 100,000 workers employed.
The HSE said that despite the waste and recycling sector being relatively small in employment, its average fatality rate over the last five years is “16 times as high as the average across all industries”.
The sector had a rate of 10.26 fatalities for every 100,000 workers in 17/18, the highest across all industry groups. The agricultural industry, by comparison, was second highest with a rate of 8.44.
The lowest industry for fatalities was communication, business, services and finance, with a rate of 0.14, compared to an overall UK rate of 0.45.
Older worker risk
Overall, the three most common causes of fatal injuries across all sectors continues to be due to: workers falling from height (35), being struck by a moving vehicle (26) and being struck by a moving object (23), with these accounting for nearly 60 per cent of fatal injuries in 2017/18.
The latest figures also highlight the risks to older workers, with 40% of fatal injuries in 2017/18 to workers aged 60 or over, even though such workers made up only around 10 per cent of the workforce.
‘Broadly level’
And, across all sectors, the provisional annual data for work-related fatal injuries revealed that 144 workers were fatally injured between April 2017 and March 2018 (a rate of 0.45 per 100,000 workers).
“The figures serve as a reminder of why health and safety is so important”
Martin Temple
HSE chief executive
The HSE said that although this represents an increase of nine fatalities from 2016/17, “there has been a long-term reduction in the number of fatalities since 1981 and the number has remained broadly level in recent years”.
Commenting on the data, Martin Temple, chair of the HSE, explained that the increase in fatalities remains a concern.
“Despite the fact that Britain’s health and safety record is the envy of much of the world, the increase in the number of workers fatally injured is clearly a source of concern,” Mr Temple said.
He added: “The figures serve as a reminder of why health and safety is so important and that we must not become complacent as we continue on our mission to prevent all forms of injury, death and ill health at work.”
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
