Lawford Kidd's Blog

Although there has been a general decrease in the number of injuries in the waste and recycling industry over the past few years, it continues to be one of the most high-risk sectors to work in.

High proportion of injuries

Latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that although the sector accounts for only around 0.6% of British employees, it still manages to account for 2.8% of reported injuries, including 11% of all fatalities, 2.6% of major injuries and 2.8% of over-seven-day injuries.

Twelve worker fatalities in one year

Looking at the HSE provisional figures on waste and recycling for 2012/13:

The serious risks to health faced by many workers in Scotland have been highlighted by recent Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures showing that 22 workers were killed while at work in 2012/13. This figure represents an alarming rise over the 19 deaths that took place over the previous year.

A further 1,914 workers sustained a major injury in 2012/13, down on the 2,215 major injuries that occurred during the previous year.

Employers urged to focus on safety

HSE has published these figures as part of a fresh appeal that calls on employers to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their workforce is a top priority for 2014 and to not put lives at risk.

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has said it is “disappointed” and “concerned” over plans to deregulate areas of health and safety.

The Joint Committee providing pre-legislative scrutiny of the Draft Deregulation Bill issued its report towards the end of last year, and IOSH has repeated its concerns that some self-employed people could be excluded from necessary health and safety legislation.

IOSH head of policy and public affairs Richard Jones said: “IOSH is disappointed and concerned that the Committee has not recommended the removal of the clause exempting certain self-employed from health and safety law, particularly given the serious concerns raised by IOSH and others during the inquiry.”

A recent article from the Irish Injuries Board has highlighted the risks to workers of injuries from burns and scalds.

Ireland sees an increase in burn injuries

In Ireland, the Injuries Board is the state body responsible for processing personal injury claims. It conducted a piece of research and found that in the past two years alone, the number of compensation awards made for burn or scald injuries had increased by a third.

In 2011, 28 workers received compensation after being burned or scalded in the course of their work. In 2012, this figure had risen to 42. The Board highlights how painful these injuries can be, and that they can be the cause of great suffering and hardship for the injured workers.

More than one in five Americans say they have been injured on the job, according to a new survey from FindLaw.com, the legal information website.

According to the survey, 21% of American adults say that they have suffered an injury while on the job that was serious enough for them to take time off work. The vast majority of injuries involve slip-and-fall accidents, repetitive motion injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, and other musculoskeletal injuries.

The most common types of injury were: