Health and Safety Executive's annual figures (07/08)

According to the Health and Safety Executive [UK], the key annual figures regarding work accidents for 07/08 were the following...

"Ill health
- 2.1 million people were suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by their current or past work.
- 1.3 million of these cases were suffered by people working during the year, of which 563 000 were new cases.
- 2.056 people died of mesothelioma in the year of 2006, and thousands more from other occupational cancers and lung diseases.

Injuries
- 229 workers were killed at work, a rate of 0.8 per 100 000 workers.
- 136.771 other injuries to employees were reported under RIDDOR, a rate of 517.9 per 100.000 employees.
- 299.000 reportable injuries occurred, according to the Labour Force Survey, a rate of 1.000 per 100.000 workers.

Working days lost
- 34 million days were lost overall (1.4 days per worker), 28 million due to work-related ill health and 6 million due to workplace injury."

Numbers that should make us all pause for a moment and wonder the real-life effects each one of these had, on all the people they involved (workers and relatives). Remember: safety always comes first.