2006
(23/10/2006) Poor health and safety in the leisure and hospitality sector
AXA Insurance research with 130 employees who have been injured whilst working in the leisure and hospitality sector over the past five years has revealed poor levels of health and safety in the workplace. Accidents in the kitchen accounted for most of the injuries to leisure employees with 74 out of the 130 (57%) injured there. 105 of the people injured (81%) suffered cuts or burns. Despite the frequency of such injuries amongst the leisure industry employees surveyed, only half of them (65 respondents) claimed to have received health and safety training.
Whilst the study found accidents in the kitchen to be the most common cause of an accident, 30 leisure employees interviewed (23%) had taken a fall or tripped over, nine (7%) had been injured by lifting heavy items and a further nine developed repetitive strain injury from their working environment. Cuts and burns were by far the most common injuries sustained though 23 leisure employees (18%) suffered sprains and strains, seven (5%) broke a bone and five (4%) were knocked unconscious.
Compared with the other industries the study looked at, employees in the leisure industry were less likely to take time off to recover from their injury. 66% of the leisure employees needed no time off at all compared to just 52% on average across all industries. However, the industry came out as one of the worst for health and safety training with only half of those interviewed claiming to have received any.
Across all sectors, as many as one in ten people interviewed claim to have been injured in the workplace in the past five years. The AXA study also found that employees aged over 50 are most likely to have a fall whilst doing their job (47%) compared to 28 per cent of 18-29 year olds.
Doug Barnett, risk strategy manager for AXA commented: “Employees in the leisure industry need to be particularly aware of the hazards they face in the workplace and should be fully briefed on health and safety procedures. Good health and safety procedures are vital to the running of a successful business. Not only is there a legal requirement to meet minimum standards but these injuries can mean employees have to take time off work to recover and lead to compensation pay outs. In light of this, we are advising all employers, to assess the potential risks and dangers that the working environment may pose to their staff and take necessary action”.
Most common accidents and resulting injuries sustained in the leisure industry:
| How accident / injury happened h | Number of people who have suffered this in the past five years |
|---|---|
| Fall, slip or trip | 30 |
| Lifting | 9 |
| Inappropriate working environment | 9 |
| Bitten | 3 |
| Kitchen accident | 74 |
| Most common injuries sustained | Number of people who have suffered this in the past five years |
|---|---|
| Musculoskeletal disorder (back pain, strains and sprained muscles | 23 |
| Cut(s) | 42 |
| Burn(s) | 64 |
| Broken bone(s) | 7 |
| Knocked out | 5 |
Health and safety trained sectors:
| Industry | Percentage of sample in each industry who have received health and safety training |
|---|---|
| Transportation and storage | 63% |
| Manufacturing | 60% |
| Retail and wholesale | 58% |
| Professional services | 57% |
| Leisure and hospitality | 50% |
| Technology, media, telecoms | 49% |
For more information about business continuity and health and safety in the workplace please go to www.axa4business.co.uk.
Notes
*The research company YouGov plc interviewed 718 UK adult employees who had suffered from an accident in the past five years across a range of industries, during May 2006, of which 57 worked in the manufacturing industry at the time of their accident. To find the relevant respondents YouGov plc conducted an initial recruitment exercise where they interviewed 41,541 adults who live in Great Britain . Via the recruitment exercise they located 3,889 people who had been injured at work in the past five years.
Further information
Melissa Jobson, AXA Insurance, 020 7369 4293
About AXA
AXA Group is a worldwide leader in Financial Protection. AXA's operations are diverse geographically, with major operations in Western Europe , North America and the Asia/Pacific area. AXA had € 1,091 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2006 , and reported total revenues of € 41 billion and underlying earnings of € 2,090 million for the first half of 2006.
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