Many work-related accidents not reported

After the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) published statistics of work-related deaths and injuries in Britain and Northern Ireland between 2005 and 2006, Consult GEE says that the full picture is still not being shown.

Analysing the figures, the consultancy firm said that the statistics could be misleading due to a number of factors.

Martin Pearce, health and safety expert at Consult GEE, said: "The HSE figures are just the tip of the iceberg, as a large percentage of work-related injuries are not reported, so they are not reflected in the statistics.

"With many work-related illnesses, the effects may not be detected until years later, such as with hearing loss and asthma," he added. "Often a work-related illness or long term injury may be diagnosed by a GP as an 'ailment of ageing', rather than a work-related illness, so they fail to get reported as such."

However, Mr Pearce warned that not only are firms risking losing money in compensation cases involving solicitors when an employee does get injured, they also lose out financially when employees have to take time off due to illness.

Mr Pearce said: "An HSE conviction and resulting fine can be expensive to an employer, but what is often overlooked is the additional cost of lost productivity from having employees off sick due to work-related injury and ill health.

He concluded: "Some 24 million working days are lost every year through work-related illness and six million through workplace injuries, which is a massive loss to businesses. Personal injury compensation claims are on the increase and this cost is being reflected in large increases in employer's liability insurance."

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