Wales is the most dangerous place to work in the UK, according to new figures for serious industrial accidents.
The new statistics, released yesterday by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), were described as a “serious concern” by business groups.
Wales has the highest rate of fatal or major injuries, at 121.3 per 100,000 people in 2010/11, compared to 97.2 in England and 114 in Scotland.
Wales had an overall injury rate of 542.8 per 100,000 people in 2010/11, with 6,064 injuries reported to the HSE, of which 4,709 kept people off work for four or more days.
In comparison, England had 459.8 injuries per 100,000 and Scotland had 447.5.
Leighton Jenkins, assistant director of policy for business lobbying organisation CBI Wales, said more action should be taken to prevent accidents.
He said: “It is of serious concern that Wales has the most injuries per worker than anywhere in the UK.
“A single injury is one injury too many and businesses are committed to continually improving their processes to prevent any harm to staff.
“The higher figures reflect Wales’ business environment which contains a far higher proportion of manufacturers and fewer office-based ‘low-risk’ sectors than most other parts of the UK. When compared to a comparable economy like the North West of England the figures are not as stark.
“However, we must never be complacent. Common sense is needed within health and safety regulation, better supporting ‘higher risk’ sectors and improving the advice given by consultants.
“The UK has a good record on health and safety and incidents are falling, although more can always be done to reduce workplace injuries.”
In Wales, 397,000 days were lost to injuries in 2010/11, the highest rate for four years and a 73% jump from the previous year.
Wales lost an average of 0.36 days per worker to injuries in 2010/11, equivalent to one in every three workers in Wales taking a day off, the highest rate in Britain.
Stuart Scott, lecturer in occupational health and safety at Cardiff Metropolitan University, said Wales’ history of industrial and agricultural-based economies may explain the higher accident rates.
He said: “If you look at the north east that has the same sort of industry and countryside and we are quite comparable in terms of the length of absence per employee.
“It’s probably more down to natural variation.”
Flintshire was the most dangerous part of Wales, with 165.4 fatal or major injuries per 100,000. Cardiganshire was the safest with just 70.
However, injury rates in Wales are among the fastest falling in Great Britain, with the fatal and major injury rate having dropped 18% since 2006/07 and the total injuries rate falling 21% over the same period.
Mr Scott said the figures, along with others that show a drop in cases of stress-related illness, were good news for Welsh businesses.
He said: “There’s a difficulty at the moment that workplaces under economic pressure decide they need to reduce some costs and often health and safety is seen as a way to do that.
“It’s more important that people look at the health, safety and wellbeing of their employees because they do need their employees and will in the future when there is more money.”
The number of health and safety offences resulting in a prosecution in Wales has also risen, with the HSE prosecuting over 57 offences leading to 51 convictions, and local authorities prosecuted 30 times with 29 convictions.
Companies in Wales that broke the rules were fined £1.9m in 2010/11.
Judith Hackitt, HSE’s chair, said: “Britain can be proud that it has one of the best health and safety records in Europe but as the increase in the number of fatalities makes clear we can never let up in our commitment to addressing the serious risks which continue to cause death and injury in workplaces.
“HSE will continue to work with employers, employees and other organisations to maintain and, where necessary improve, health and safety standards. We all have a responsibility to make sure serious workplace risks are sensibly managed.”
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