The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) has published its latest Annual Report, in which it claims that farm safety continues to be its biggest challenge as it strives to improve health and safety standards in workplaces across Northern Ireland.
There were 19 work-related fatalities in 2012/13 and once again the farming sector dominated the fatal accident statistics, with 11 out of the 19 deaths being attributable to farm accidents. In the previous year, 2011/12, there were 18 work-related fatalities with nine of these being attributable to farm accidents.
The report also points to a continuing downward trend of all reportable work-related injuries, with provisional figures for 2012/13 showing a fall of 13% on last year and down 20% since 2008/09. This year also witnessed a sharp fall in major injuries, with reports down 17% on last year and down almost 30% since 2008/09.
