Workplace injuries cost an arm and a leg

12:44pm Thursday 13th March 2008

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Workplace injuries in Barnet cost the borough more than £2 million last year.

According to figures released this week by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 141 people were injured in slips, trips or falls, costing millions in lost work days and compensation claims.

The HSE is responsible for ensuring health and safety standards are adhered to in workplaces, and local authorities are answerable to it for enforcing those standards in the private sector.

This week it launched the Shattered Lives campaign to highlight the potentially devastating impacts of workplace injuries.

Steven Williams, London HSE director, said: "Slips, trips and falls can be viewed as being minor, funny accidents but the effects are not. It can lead to major injuries, and a lifetime of disability or time off work and in worst cases fatalities.

"Shattered Lives will encourage people to change their attitudes. If you spot a hazard, don't assume somebody else will sort it out."

Between April 2006 and March 2007, 43 people in Barnet were seriously injured by a slip, trip or fall at work and 98 people needed more than three days off work after an injury.

Across London five people were killed or seriously injured by a fall, with injuries costing the capital almost £80 million, according to the HSE.

To find out more about preventing injuries in the workplace, visit hse.gov.uk/shatteredlives