Employers in the East of England have worst health and safety record

Employers in the East of England have the worst health and safety record in the UK, says Consult GEE, a provider of online health and safety information services, following their recent analysis of Health & Safety Executive (HSE) figures for 2005/2006.

Consult GEE found that employers in the East have the highest conviction rate in the country and receive the largest average fine (10,939) for breaches of health and safety regulations.

One conviction was achieved by the HSE for every 18,040 employees in the East, compared to the national average of one in every 37,106 employees for 2005/2006. The North East ranked second highest, with one conviction per 23,651 employees.

Martin Pearce, health and safety expert at Consult GEE, says: ìThe East is largely agricultural and there are many inherent risks of injury in this sector. Workers in the agricultural industry are exposed to daily hazards of machinery, chemicals and arduous physical labour. The nature of this sector means that there is also a high percentage of seasonal migrant labour employed. Employers often fail to provide their workforce sufficient information of the dangers of this type of work.î

ìLow profit margins in the farming sector also tend to cause ëcorner cuttingí and consequently there is little investment in proper health and safety procedures.î

HSE figures show that of the 11 regions, employers in the South East were the least likely to be convicted by the HSE, with just one in every 72,720 convicted. However, the average fine for the South East was the second highest at 10,796.

Employers in the South West performed well overall, with the second best rate of one conviction per 64,353 employees and an average fine of just 3,913.

Consult GEE identified Wales as having a sharp fall in convictions compared to 2004/05, with only one conviction in every 53,682 employees in 2005/06 compared to one conviction for every 15,865 for 2004/05.

Despite a drop in conviction rates, Wales ranked highest in the number of injuries per employee, with one in every 717 employees injured.

Martin Pearce explains: ìThe HSE has a rolling plan that concentrates its efforts on a particular region or sector, so this does not necessarily indicate an improvement in this region.î

ìThe 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. Often a work-related illness or long term injury may be diagnosed by a GP as an ëailment of ageingí, rather than a work-related illness, so they fail to get reported as such.î

ìHealth and safety is not just a case of making the workplace safe (i.e. free from accidents), it is about ensuring an employeeís health. Occupational health has to be a long term view that requires an understanding of the adverse health effects of exposure to noise, vibration, hazardous substances and repetitive physical activity.î

Martin Pearce says: ìWhat we have to remember is when someone is trying to run a business, their main focus is on ensuring that it survives in a competitive world. Health and safety may not always be high on the agenda as it is often perceived as an extra cost.î

ìWith an increasing number of laws affecting health and safety, businesses, especially small businesses, can struggle to keep up with the changes, let alone ensure they are adhered to.î

The cost of not complying with health and safety provisions is high. While the national average of fines has dropped 17.3% from 2004/2005 to 7,553 in 2005/2006 employers pay the price in other ways.

Martin Pearce points out: ìAn 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. Some 24 million working days are lost every year through work related illness and 6 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 employerís liability insurance.î