HSE reports fall in numbers killed at work

Provisional data released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has revealed that 133 workers were fatally injured between April 2013 and March 2014 compared with 150 in the previous year. The overall rate of fatal injury has dropped to 0.44 per 100,000 workers, compared to 0.51 in 2012/13. HSE chair Judith Hackitt said: "The release of the annual statistics always leads to mixed emotions. Sadness for the loss of 133 lives, and sympathy for their families, friends and workmates, but also a sense of encouragement that we continue to make progress in reducing the toll of suffering. "Whilst these are only provisional figures, they confirm Britain's performance in health and safety as world class. For the last eight years we have consistently recorded one of the lowest rates of fatal injuries to workers among the leading industrial nations in Europe." Minister of State for Health and Safety, Mike Penning, added: "Any death at work is a death too many. But these statistics show that workplaces are getting safer. "The Health and Safety Executive do an excellent job in making sure each and every one of us can go out to do an honest day's work in the knowledge that our safety is being taken seriously." Deaths from mesothelioma – a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos – increased sharply to 2,535 in 2012 from 2,291 in 2011.