Employers’ Duties To Prevent Fatal Accidents In The Workplace

Feb 10, 2022

Every job has its own share of risks. As such, employers must take the necessary precautions to prevent workplace accidents. Risk assessment allows you to identify hazards in your business and take action to eliminate or at least control them. Here is what you need to know about risk assessment in the workplace.


training portal free trial

What Are Common Injuries Caused By Machinery In The Workplace?

Machinery causes thousands of accidents every year. The most common injuries in the workplace include:

Crashes and collisions: Accidents caused by crashes and collisions involving trucks and machinery like forklifts caused 25 fatalities this year.

Falls: Falls from height are the third-highest cause of fatal accidents in the workplace.

Cuts and lacerations: All sorts of work equipment can leave you nursing a painful cut. These injuries are caused by inadequate safety procedures, poor training, and failure to wear protective gear.

What Are The Most Affected Sectors?

According to the HSE workplace fatal injuries report, industries with the highest risk of workplace accidents are construction, agriculture, forestry, fishing, manufacturing, transportation, culinary, waste and recycling. Construction and agriculture are the most affected, as they account for the highest number of fatalities. For example, in 2020/21, the construction industry accounted for 39 fatal injuries in the workplace, while agriculture, forestry, and fishing had 34 fatal injuries.

How Often Does a Risk Assessment Need To Be Done, and Who Is Responsible For This?

The HSE roles and responsibilities of an employer state that an employer must protect the welfare of their employees. If your company is audited by the Health and Safety Executive [HSE], you must carry out risk assessments of your work environment and processes and update them of any changes. While there is no specific period in which you must conduct the evaluation, the rule of thumb is that you do it at least once a year. In addition to that, you are also expected to review your risk assessment every time regulations change, problems arise from the task, and accidents and near misses happen.

What Happens If You Do Not Carry Out a Risk Assessment?

Simply put, it is illegal not to have a risk assessment. Failure to carry out a risk assessment could result in heavy fines and leave you vulnerable to lawsuits. As an employer, you are required by the law to identify what could cause injury in your business and take action to eliminate or control it. If you are unable to do this by yourself, our team at Safety Aide can help you monitor the safety performance of your business. We can help you with construction site health and safety inspection, fire risk audits, and many more.

For more information on how Safety Aide can help you carry out a risk assessment, get in touch with us today.

training portal free trial
Image Source: Unsplash