Hundreds of employees suffered workplace injuries in 2022
As workers, employers and unions commemorate International Workers Memorial Day today, new figures show hundreds of Portsmouth workers reported suffering injuries at their jobs last year.
However, the figures were questioned by unions, who said deaths from certain sectors were not included, as well as from work-related illnesses such as asbestos exposure.
The GMB trade union said it is ‘extremely sceptical’ that the current data shows the full story, and have also claimed there are issues with under-reporting.
The latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive – known as Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous
Occurrences Regulations – show that 210 people have reported suffering injuries at work in Portsmouth in 2021-22, up from 147 the year before.
This was also up from 192 in 2018-19, before the outbreak of the pandemic.
Elsewhere, 2021/22 figures were as follows:
Fareham (87 injuries), Havat (70) and Gosport (47).
Across the UK, 61,700 workers reported non-fatal injuries in 2021-22 – down from 69,300 in 2018-19.
An injury is recorded if an employee misses the following seven days of work, or if they suffer a fracture, amputation, reduction or loss of sight, serious burn, a head injury which causes unconsciousness, scalping, crush-related injuries, or hypothermia or heat-induced illness caused as a result of working in an enclosed space.
Daniel Shears, national health and safety officer at GMB, said: ‘Whilst almost all work-related fatalities in the scope of RIDDOR will be reported, by definition this excludes deaths at sea, deaths airside in aviation, all workrelated road traffic fatalities, and work-related suicides.’
Mr Shears said adding these statistics alongside statistics from those who suffered from long-term illnesses caused in the workplace puts the true figure of annual deaths in the UK between 20,000 and 50,000.
He also called on greater funding for regulators to increase the number of employers reporting injuries and fatalities.
The figures also showed 142 (68per cent) of the 210 non-fatal injuries recorded in Portsmouth resulted in someone missing at least seven working days.