Rise In Number Of Workplace Deaths

The number of workplace deaths has risen rapidly to 23 during 2014/15, according to the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI).

This compares to eight workplace deaths in 2013/14 and is significantly higher than the last five-year average of 15 deaths per year.

The HSENI report also shows major injuries are down by 6.3% on last year, and down 13% since a five-year peak in 2010/11. The difference between a major injury and a fatality can be seconds or centimetres and HSENI has said it will continue to focus on reducing the causes of serious injuries as a means of reducing future fatalities.

The latest figures also underline the importance of HSENI's focus on farm safety, as despite a fall in the number of farm fatalities from 11 in 2012/13 to four in 2013/14, and 2014/15 year saw the number rise again to nine.

HSENI’s Chief Executive Keith Morrison is calling for more to be done to address the culture of risk-taking that still exists within some of the farming community. He said: "Farming still has a poor safety record, with more fatalities across all age groups compared to other industries. Not only did nine people die on our farms last year, since the year 2000 there have been 102 farming deaths in Northern Ireland. This is a shocking record and needs to be tackled by all of us. We must all work every day to stop this needless heartache.

"Sadly, two people have already lost their lives on farms in the first six months of this year and while HSENI and partners will continue our efforts to eradicate farm accidents, farmers must also play their part by taking responsibility for safety on their farms. By working together we can develop a positive, preventative culture where safety is built in to every job on the farm – big or small."

(CD/MH)