HSE statistics on work-related deaths hide the true picture

In practice, the HSE statistics on work-related deaths under-represent the true picture of work-related death, and probably represent just the tip of the iceberg.

The HSE statistics for 2011-12 refer to 173 workers fatally injured in 2011-12, equivalent to a rate of fatal injury of 0.6 per 100,000 workers. The government relies on this figure to sustain its argument that Britain’s workplaces are becoming safer and that consequently, less regulation is needed.

But this figure is badly distorted for a number of reasons. In particular, it only includes deaths that happen relatively quickly, as a result of sudden injury. It excludes many thousands of people who die from diseases caused or exacerbated by work, such as work-related cancers or mesothelioma, or from an injury that leads to a later death. The TUC describes occupational disease as a “time bomb” which kills at least 100 times the number killed in workplace “accidents”.

They also exclude all work-related road traffic incidents, and all deaths reported to other authorities apart from the HSE, as well as suicides as a result of work-related depression. There is also significant under-reporting of accidents to the regulator.