Accidents and sickness cost UK business £7.8bn annually

Workplace
accidents and work-related sickness could be costing UK
employers as much as £7.8bn a year, according to the Health & Safety
Executive (HSE).

The
new estimates for 2001-02 show that the total cost to the economy is between
£13.1bn and £22.2bn due to lost earnings, human suffering, sick pay, loss of
output and medical treatment.

The
hardest hit industry is construction, with the HSE estimating that workplace
accidents and sickness could cost the industry up to £1.89bn a year.

Sales
people are least likely to be workplace victims, with those in ‘craft and
related occupations’ the most accident-prone.

The
South East is the most dangerous place with estimates topping £1.72bn. This
figure excludes London,
which adds another £850m to the total.

An
interim update of ‘The costs to Britain
of workplace accidents and work-related ill health in 1995/96’ can be found on HSE’s website.

www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/dayslost.htm

By Michael Millar

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