Workplace Fatality Statistics Released

Provisional figures recently released by the HSE show that 123 workers died as a result of work-related accidents in the year to March 2022. This compares to 145 workers killed in the same period the previous year and represents a rate of 0.38 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers also down from a level of 0.45 fatal injuries per 100,000 the previous year.

Overall fatal injury levels and trends are broadly in line with pre-pandemic levels.

The Construction sector saw the greatest number of fatalities with 30 deaths reported, this compares to 36 deaths the previous year, a rate of 1.47 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers.

However, the sector with the highest fatality rate was the Agriculture, forestry and fishing sector with just over 8 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers. This sector saw 22 deaths in the year to March 2022, compared with 38 deaths the previous year.

The manufacturing sector also saw 22 fatal injuries, however, these were spread over a much larger workforce to give a fatal injury rate of 0.82 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers, approximately one-tenth of the rate for agriculture.

Falls from height remained the most common cause of death with 29 fatal injuries, almost a quarter of all fatal injuries. Other common types of fatal accidents included Struck by moving vehicles (23 deaths) and struck by moving (including flying/falling) objects at 18 deaths.

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