2006
(06/11/2006) UK business health & safety slip ups
- 27% of employees who have been injured at work say that their employers had not followed occupational health and safety procedures
- Over a quarter of employees who have been injured at work have not received any training from their employer on health and safety at work
- Almost 70% of employees injured at work were offered no support by employer
- Health & safety failures cost employers up to £6.5 billion2 every year
New business research1 from AXA Insurance reveals that many UK businesses appear to have let health and safety in the workplace slip. Worryingly, over a quarter of all employees surveyed by AXA who had been injured whilst at work in the past five years, said that they had not received any health and safety training from their employer. The study also showed that of all the accidents and injuries that had been sustained in the workplace, 30% have resulted in employees taking a week or more off work to recover. Of these, four percent needed over a year to recuperate. But what is the impact on UK business? According to ROSPA2, health and safety failures currently cost British employers up to £6.5 billion every year.
So with work-related accidents having a potentially destructive impact on the smooth running of UK businesses, what are UK employers doing to support injured employees after an accident has occurred? The AXA research revealed that almost 70% of people who were injured at work were not offered help by their employer after the event. Employees who were injured whilst doing their job in the professional services sector were most likely to be offered help by their employer, with 42% offering help.
Furthermore, of those employees who have sustained an injury in the workplace almost 27% stated that their employers had not followed occupational health and safety procedures, for example, asking them to fill in a form or sign an accident book.
| Region (sample size) | % of employees who have been injured at work over the past five years and not offered help by employer |
|---|---|
| London | 63% |
| Midlands and Wales | 66% |
| North of England | 69% |
| Rest of the South | 71% |
| Scotland | 73% |
| Industry | % of employees who have been injured at work over the past five years and not offered help by employer |
|---|---|
| Professional services | 58% |
| Manufacturing | 72% |
| Technology, media, telecoms | 72% |
| Leisure / hospitality | 73% |
| Retail, wholesale | 74% |
| Transportation, storage | 75% |
Doug Barnet, risk strategy manager, from AXA commented: "The research indicates that some businesses appear to have let health and safety standards slip. Not only are there health and safety procedures for companies to follow as a legal requirement, but accidents and injuries sustained in the workplace can be extremely costly for companies - through employees having to take time off work to recover or because of compensation pay outs.
We advise businesses, of all shapes and sizes, to assess the potential risks and dangers that the working environment may pose to their employees and ensure that they have stringent health and safety procedures in place."
According to ROSPA some 70 per cent of workplace accidents could be prevented if employers put proper safety control measures in place. The organisation also warns that employers should also be aware that the maximum penalties for breaching health and safety legislation are unlimited fines and up to two years in prison.
For information and advice on business continuity and healthcare in the workplace please go to the www.axa4business.co.uk web site which offers a range of guides for businesses.
- Ends -
More information
If you are a journalist and require further information contact one of our media team.
Notes to Editor
- The research company YouGov plc interviewed 718 UK adult employees during May 2006. 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.
- According to ROSPA
About AXA
AXA UK is part of AXA Group. 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.
AXA ordinary shares are listed on the Paris Stock Exchange; AXA American Depositary Shares (ADSs) are listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol AXA.