Lawford Kidd's Blog

The International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) has drafted a new international health and safety standard, aimed at reducing the impact of occupational deaths and injuries.

At a meeting in Trinidad, which was hosted by The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the ISO published the latest draft of the new standard. Health and safety professionals from different countries, industries and cultures, were then able to discuss the proposed standard. In particular, 2,500 comments from the consultation were reviewed, clauses were examined and amendments suggested by health and safety professional from around the world.

According to new figures recently published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), between April 2013 and March 2014, 133 people in Britain died in workplace accidents - 17 less than the previous year, 42 less than 2010/11, 46 less than 2008/09 and the lowest number since records began.

With the number of fatal injuries now at 133, the overall rate of fatal injuries in Britain has also dropped from 0.51 per 100,000 workers in 2012/13 to 0.44 in 2013/14 and below the five-year average rate of 0.56. At 0.51 per 100,000. It is thought Britain has the lowest rate of fatal injuries to workers, when compared to the following major industrial nations: Germany, France, Spain and Italy.

The HSE statistics show the rate of fatal injuries in certain industrial sectors. For instance, between April 2013 and March 2014, there were 27 fatal injuries to agricultural workers, 42 in construction and 4 in waste and recycling.

A new support scheme has been launched by the UK Government to help newly diagnosed victims of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a cancer of the lining of internal organs, such as the lungs, and is almost always the result of exposure to asbestos. It is always fatal, and sufferers can only expect to live around eight or nine months on average after diagnosis.

Claiming compensation for mesothelioma has often been a problem for sufferers because typically symptoms do not appear until 40 or 50 years after the exposure to asbestos has taken place. As a result, by the time a sufferer realises he or she has the condition, their employer may no longer be around to make a claim against.

Although reports of workers suffering serious or fatal injuries in the course of their work continue to occur too frequently, recent figures indicate that there has been a fall in the overall number of major injuries arising in the workplace.

Significant decline in major injuries

According to the latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive, the incidence of major injuries has fallen 11% this year compared to 2011/12.

Looking at the figures in more detail, they show that in Britain between April 2012 and March 2013:

Workers could be exposed to unnecessary risk of injury if Britain’s health and safety regulations are watered down, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has warned.