29 people killed due to agricultural accidents during 2015-2016, according to annual statistics

Unions across the UK are voicing their support for this year’s Farm Safety Week, which stresses importance of practicing good safety
Unions across the UK are voicing their support for this year’s Farm Safety Week, which stresses importance of practicing good safety

29 people were killed due to agricultural accidents during a one year period from 2015 to 2016, according to annual statistics by the Health and Safety Executive.

Provisional annual data for work-related fatal accidents in Great Britain’s workplaces has been released today.

The long term trend has seen the rate of fatalities more than halve over the last 20 years.

However, provisional figures indicate that 144 people were killed while at work in 2015/2016 – up from 142 in 2014/5.

The HSE accident figures were published to coincide with Farm Safety Week, which runs from the 4th of July to the 8th.

The Health and Safety Executive has called on all sectors to learn lessons to ensure workers return home safe from work.

'Every statistic lies a real story of loss'

Martin Temple, HSE Chair said: "One death at work or life needlessly shortened, is one too many and behind every statistic lies a real story of loss and heartbreak and families left to grieve.

"Britain has one of the best health and safety systems in the world, but we should always be looking to improve and to prevent incidents that cost lives.

"This year HSE travelled the country asking industry representatives, employers, unions, workers and others what they could do to help GB work well.

"The response was hugely encouraging and I would like to ask people to deliver on the commitments made, that will help keep Britain’s workers alive."

Rate of fatal injuries in key industrial sectors:

• Forty three workers died in construction, the same as the average for the previous five years

• In agriculture there were 27 deaths (compared to the five-year average of 32)

• In manufacturing there were 27 deaths (compared to five-year average 22), but this figure includes three incidents that resulted in a total of eight deaths

• There were six fatal injuries to workers in waste and recycling, compared to the five-year average of seven, but subject to considerable yearly fluctuation

There were also 103 members of the public fatally injured in accidents connected to work in 2015/16, of which 36 (35 percent) related to incidents occurring on railways.

Comparisons of fatal injuries by country or region are based on where the accident occurred.

After taking industrial composition into account, those regions and countries with seemingly higher rates are not (statistically) different to the rest of GB.

In 2015/16 the highest fatal injury rates across all countries and regions were Wales (0.93 per 100,000 workers); Scotland (0.60); and Yorkshire and the Humber (0.58).

Due to the relatively small numbers and to reduce some of the yearly fluctuation, when averaged across a five-year time period to 2014/15 those regions with the highest fatal injury rates were also Wales (0.81), Scotland (0.73) and Yorkshire and the Humber (0.70).