Government Highlights Three Industries With Greatest Risk Of Accidents At Work

The government have revealed figures that show the three most dangerous industries in which to work. They take into account the likelihood of suffering an accident at work or becoming afflicted with an industrial disease. Regardless of how potentially dangerous a job is, it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that employees have as safe and risk-free an environment in which to work. All employers should take care to offer a safe environment but it is these three industries that have the highest risk level according to the figures.

Construction remains the most dangerous industry. Only around 5% of the workforce are found in the construction industry but this is where 22% of work related fatalities and 10% of work related injuries are recorded. In 2011/2012 this meant that 600,000 working days were lost because of accidents at work while a further 1.7m working days were lost due to illnesses directly attributed to the workplace. The most common injuries were trips and falls while 5,000 cases of cancer were recorded due to exposure to harmful chemicals.

The agriculture industry utilises many types of heavy machinery and these are often responsible for accidents at work. 33 deaths were recorded during 2011/2012 although it should be noted that this is an improvement over previous years but it still means that agriculture ranks among the most dangerous and potentially life threatening industries in the UK. It is also believed that many accidents in this industry are not reported but even with potentially depleted figures, it still has high fatality and injury rates.

Manufacturing is another area where the use of heavy machinery combined with exposure to potentially harmful chemicals is rife and employees often pay the price. The 2011/2012 period saw 31 manufacturing related deaths, which represents around 25% of all recorded work related fatalities. The industry is also responsible for 16% of injuries caused by accidents in the workplace. Only 10% of the workforce are employed in the industry.

Every employer has a legal responsibility to ensure that their employees, and everybody on their premises is as safe and free from harm as possible. Workplace practices, training, and hazard prevention should be considered an integral role for any company or employer and while the majority of organisations do get it right, there are those that fail their staff. Employers run the risk of having legal action taken against them and litigious claims laid by injured parties and employees that contract so called industrial illnesses and diseases.

There are various ways in which an employer may found liable for an employee’s accident or illness and if it can be proven then the employee has the right to make a claim against their employer. Industrial claims can total large sums of money and this is why employers’ liability insurance is a legal requirement for any business that employs even a single member of staff. Employees that are involved in an accident at work or that contract an industrial illness should first report the incident to later aid their litigation claim.

Accidents At Work General PI News StockslegalJul 22nd, 20130 comments