The HSE’s 2015 appeal to keep North West workplaces safe

Did you know that workplace safety in the North West is in the spotlight more than ever before?

To celebrate it’s 40th anniversary, the HSE is putting in even more effort to help workers to stay safe this year, starting with an appeal targeted at North West businesses.

Workplace accidents on the rise

The HSE has just highlighted new figures that outline the number of accidents that occurred in North West workplaces during 2013/2014. The numbers show that 15 people lost their lives during this period and 9,432 suffered injury, all as a result of poor health and safety practise in the workplace.

To break this down to area, 3,562 accidents occurred in Greater Manchester, 1, 943 in Lancashire, 1,820 in Merseyside and 1,439 in Cheshire, to name but a few. Unfortunately, these figures are higher than those in the North West the previous year. With this in mind, HSE are keen to make 2015 different.

HSE chair, Judith Hackitt, said: “There is still a big challenge to prevent the suffering which does still occur. Seeing the annual statistics always leads to mixed emotions, sympathy for those who have suffered injury themselves and for the families and workmates of those who have lost their lives, determination to improve things further as well as encouragement that we are continuing to make progress in reducing the toll of suffering.

“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.

"However, in HSE’s 40th year it is right that we acknowledge the progress we’ve made and look to a future of striving to bring down these statistics even further.”

Common causes of workplace accidents

Construction, manufacturing, waste and recycling industries were listed by the HSE as most at risk. They also highlighted agricultural industries as another where sustained improvement was needed.

When it came to the causes of accidents, falls from heights was listed as a biggie, while work on machinery that was poorly maintained and guarded was also a common cause of accidents.

In this appeal, the HSE is urging employers to review their workplace health and safety and introduce new measures to protect their workforce. Our safety courses at Browns Ladders may help you work out your action plan for 2015, while educating your workforce at the same time. The company's courses cover topics suitable for those who use ladders and stepladders for just short durations of time, right through to those who use ladders, steps and scaffold towers as part of their work daily. On offer is Emergency First Aid training and more generic Work at Heights Training, covering the Working at Height Regulations 2005, which is invaluable for most industries.