More than 20,000 'are killed in accidents at work each year'

07/09/2010

More than 20,000 people are killed in accidents at work each year in the UK, a new report has revealed.

Published today (September 7th) by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the report emphasises the importance of companies' adherence to health and safety rules and regulations.

Titled The Case for Health and Safety, it reveals that 1.2 million people who are currently in employment in the UK believe they are suffering from a work-related illness.

These illnesses include heart disease, stress, musculoskeletal disorders and mental health issues.

Stressing the importance of health and safety inspections, Brendan Barber, the TUC's general secretary, said: "Any fall in inspections and enforcement will lead to an increase in accidents, injuries and deaths, and will have a huge impact on the already grave problem of workplace diseases."

Just this week, a boarding school in Shropshire was fined GBP 25,000 over the death of a man who suffocated under a collapsed building that he had been working on.

Posted by Alison Spriggs

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