KENT NEWS: More than one person a day was seriously hurt at work last year, according to the latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive.
In all, 453 people in Kent suffered major injuries from things like slips and trips, the most common cause of accidents.
Forty people were killed in the UK.
Nationally, they cost the country around £800 million a year in lost days at work.
In all, 799 people took three or more days off in the county to recover from being hurt.
There were 1,232 slip, trip or fall related injuries in Kent, and a county law firm has underlined the importance of getting health and safety right at work to save injuries and a small fortune.
The HSE has now launched a fresh phase of its Shattered Lives campaign to reduce the most common accidents with the launch of a new website offering practical advice and guidance.
The main sectors where the most accidents happen are health and social care, education, food manufacturing, food retail, catering and hospitality, building and plant maintenance, plus construction.
On the website advice ranges from how to deal with spills and other slip risks, to the importance of using ladders correctly to reduce the risk of falling from height, the number one workplace killer in the UK.
Mike Walters, principal inspector for the HSE in Kent, said: “These figures highlight the real and serious nature of preventable slip, trip and fall incidents in the workplace.
“They might sound funny, but they
shatter the lives of thousands of British workers ever year.”
Douglas Skilton is an associate at law firm Thomson Snell & Passmore, which has its HQ in Tunbridge Wells and an office in Greenhithe.
He said: “With the risk of ever-increasing fines and the imprisonment of individuals a sentencing option for most health and safety offences, it is vital for directors and
managers to think about what practical steps they can take to protect themselves and their businesses.
“A good starting point would be to review your health and safety policy to ensure it is up to date.
“Risk assessments are crucial to accident prevention – they inform what reasonably practical steps an employer must take in order to discharge its health and safety duties.
“Businesses would also be well advised to check the extent of their insurance cover and in particular whether senior managers and directors will be covered by company policy in the event they are personally prosecuted.”
• For more information visit www.hse. gov.uk/shatteredlives.
POSTED: 06/02/2010 18:00:00
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