New Research Released On Injuries At Work

Employers in Wales have been urged by a workplace injury specialist at Irwin Mitchell to make health and safety a top priority this year, after new figures revealed an increase in the number of people killed in accidents at work across 2010/11.

Research from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has shown that 11 people in the principality died while at work over the period, which was a rise from the statistic of seven recorded during the previous 12-month period.

In addition, the statistics highlighted that 1,399 people suffered a serious injury at work in the principality over the same period, compared to 1,491 major injuries reported during 2009/10.

David Urpeth, national head of workplace injury at Irwin Mitchell, acts for the families of those killed in accidents at work, as well as victims left with serious injuries as a result of such incidents.

Commenting on the new HSE figures related to Wales, he said: “Health and safety should always be the fundamental priority for employers, but sadly we regularly see cases in which organisations have failed to provide their staff with adequate training, equipment or supervision.

“As these figures show, there is plenty of work to be done to raise awareness and improve standards of health and safety in workplaces of all kinds across Great Britain.

“We have repeatedly called for improvements in safety standards and will continue to campaign for the rights of those hurt in accidents at work.

“All we want is for employers to make the New Year a new start on this issue and ensure they are doing everything they can to keep their workers safe from any potential harm. After all, every worker deserves to go to work and return home safely at the end of the day. Sadly, all too often this doesn’t happen.”