Lawford Kidd's Blog

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has recently highlighted the need to improve workplace health and safety in the manufacturing sector.

A risky place to work

The sector is a huge employer, currently accounting for around 10% of the British workforce, but can also be a risky place to work. Around one in five notifiable workplace fatalities and reported injuries occur in manufacturing, and workers can also face additional risks to their health through workplace exposures.

In the last year alone, an estimated 3.1 million working days were lost due to accidents and ill health in the sector.

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.

Broken or fractured bones are an all too common consequence of work related accidents, leading to untold suffering for the victims and, in more serious cases, serious restrictions on the types of work they are able to carry out in the future.

Many causes of broken bones

Broken bones can be caused by many different types of accidents, including slips, trips and falls, crushing incidents, falls from heights, or inadequately guarded machinery. Sadly, many of the accidents causing these injuries are preventable and are a direct consequence of employers failing to ensure the safety of their workers.

Worker hit by falling object

In one case recently prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), a worker at a building materials firm sustained two broken legs when he was hit by a falling piece of metal track.

A recent resolution passed by the European Parliament has called for new technologies to be covered by current EU health and safety rules.

The resolution notes that every year, 168,000 EU citizens die from work-related accidents or diseases and seven million are injured in accidents.

The potential risks of new technologies and harmful substances must be assessed, and legislation drafted to ensure that nanomaterials are covered by the current European Occupational Health and Safety regulation.