4
NOVEMBER 2013 PRO INSTALLER
PRO NEWS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
THERE’S STILL
TIME TO EXCHANGE
WINNING IDIOTS
ON LADDERS
2013 PICTURE
Following the success of last year’s campaign, which saw
the number of ladders exchanged increase by 35%, the
Ladder Association has announced that this year’s inspectionled campaign will now run to 31st December 2013.
First introduced in
2007, the Ladder
Exchange has already
been responsible for
removing thousands
of dodgy, broken and
bent ladders from the
workplace.
These can be exchanged
for brand new ones, at
a discount, at any of
the campaign’s partner
outlets. Please see www.
ladderexchange.org.uk for
details.
First introduced in 2012,
when the association took
over the running and development of the Ladder
Exchange from the Health
and Safety Executive (HSE),
2013 has seen the return of
the hugely popular ‘Idiots
on Ladders’ competition.
Throughout the campaign
the aim has been to lift
awareness and understanding of the need to check
and inspect ladders regularly and to use them safely
and competently.
“The ladder is an invaluable
piece of workplace equipment,” says Cameron Clow.
“Just remember that if it’s
right to use a ladder, use the
DROP IN FATAL
AND MAJOR
INJURIES IN GB
WORKPLACES
WELCOMED
The British Safety
Council welcomed the
improvements in Great
Britain’s health and
safety performance
published by the Health
and Safety Executive
(HSE) in its annual statistics report.
HSE noted a significant
reduction in the number of
workers killed and seriously injured at work. The
number and incidence of
fatal injuries in Great Britain
fell significantly as did the
number and incidence of
major injuries.
Alex Botha, chief executive
of the British Safety Council,
while welcoming these
improvements, noted that
much more is needed to be
done in order to achieve the
‘13,000 deaths
each year are
attributable to
work-related
disease’
British Safety Council’s vision that no one should be
injured or killed in Britain’s
workplaces.
“While the number of
people killed and seriously
injured in Britain’s workplaces continues to fall yearon-year we echo the comments of HSE’s chair, Judith
Hackitt, that many of these
deaths and serious injuries
could have been prevented
by simple safety measures,”
said Alex Botha. “While the
number of deaths in British
workplaces has halved
over the last 20 years – 148
workers killed in 2012/13
compared to nearly 300 in
1993/94 – it remains a major
concern that the agriculture,
construction and waste
re-cycling sectors together
account for almost half of
these unnecessary deaths.
“We must not forget the
tragic toll of work-related
disease. HSE reports that
around 13,000 deaths each
year are attributable to
work-related disease including occupational cancers
– 40% in construction. We
all have a role to play in
ensuring risks are properly
controlled to prevent harm
in the workplace.”
‘if it’s right to
use a ladder, use
the right ladder’
right ladder, in good condition, and make sure you use
it properly. If you’re in any
doubt, just ask a Ladder Association member for advice.”
Workplace major injuries hit
an all time low for 2012/13
Figures published by the Health and Safety
Executive show an 11 per cent drop in
major injuries compared to 2011/12.
The provisional statistics show that
in Britain between April 2012 and
March 2013:
• 19,707 major injuries such as amputations, fractures and burns, to employees
were reported (a rate of 78.5 injuries per
100,000 employees) – compared with
22,094 in 2011/12 (a rate of 88.5 per
100,000 employees)
• 148 workers fatally injured – down from
171 the previous year. The average for the
past five years was 181 worker deaths per
year.
• Workplace injuries and ill-health (excluding work related cancer) cost society an
estimated £13.8 billion in 2010/11 compared with £16.3 billion in 2006/07 (both
in 2011 prices).
‘Britain continues to
improve its health and
safety performance’
Chair of HSE, Judith Hackitt said: “This
year’s figures demonstrate that Britain
continues to improve its health and safety
performance, with important falls in the
number of workers fatally injured and
the number of employees suffering major
injuries.
“But we still see too many deaths and
injuries occur in the work place many of
which could have been prevented through
simple safety measures. Getting this right
is the key to ensuring that everyone can
make it home safely at the end of their
working day.
There has also been little change in the
industries in which workers are most
likely to be injured by their jobs, with
construction (156.0 major injuries per
100,000 employees) among the higher risk
sectors.
The full statistics are available at
www.hse.gov.uk/statistics