Businesses Need To Do More To Prevent Workplace Deaths, Experts Warn

By Kirstie Jones of Client Services and Environmental Health Expert at Navitas Safety

In the wake of recent workplace tragedies, including the death of a council refuse worker in Coventry, the spotlight on occupational safety has intensified. While official statistics show a gradual decline in work-related fatalities across Great Britain, with 135 workers losing their lives in 2022/2023, several pressing questions remain: how many of these in incidents could have been prevented? What more can businesses do to ensure the safety of their employees?

In the case of the council refuse worker, the incident was deemed ‘foreseeable’ by the jury foreman. Jurors also pointed out that a culture of under-reporting incidents and near misses contributed to an increased risk of missed opportunities to keep the victim safe. 

Near misses are often swept aside by businesses due to their less serious nature. As they don’t result in any physical injury, harm or damage to a person or property, management may feel it’s a waste of time to report on, or won’t lead to any useful insights. However, these incidents provide essential data to detect and mitigate hazards early.

Having a near miss reporting process in place also helps to foster a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging employees to identify and pass on any safety concerns to the relevant personnel, without fear of being reprimanded. Workers will also appreciate that their employer is doing all they can to ensure their well-being.

Creating an effective incident reporting procedure takes time, especially as businesses begin to report on all types of dangerous occurrences in the workplace – accidents, incidents, and near misses.

Here is some best practice guidance:

Keep it straightforward

A simple yet thorough process ensures accurate and consistent incident logging. Pen and paper methods will suffice, but digital systems can streamline data collection and highlight patterns, while reducing human error. 

Log every single incident 

As we’ve already discussed, every incident, no matter how seemingly insignificant, holds valuable information for improving safety. Each report should contain the following four key components:

• Description: clearly document what happened and gather all available information. This should include the person’s name, date of the incident, and any witnesses or supportive evidence such as videos or pictures.
• Causes: next, identify the factors that contributed to the incident.
• Changes: then determine the necessary organisational and process changes to prevent similar incidents.
• Learning: finally, gain insights from the incident to drive continuous improvement.

Educate employees

Having a reporting process in place fosters a sense of shared responsibility for workplace safety, which encourages employees to be more vigilant than they would be otherwise. All workers should be aware of why a reporting process is in place, along with the different types of incidents and what to do if they see anything. Regular training and refreshers will help with this, along with the introduction of a company-wide motto such as ‘see it, sort it, report it’.

Analysis and action

A regular review of incident data will help management to understand any underlying causes and contributing factors, leading to the identification of recurring patterns which need immediate attention. Particularly for businesses with multiple sites, having this data digitally available allows relevant personnel to see information in real-time and spot developing trends across any of the sites. Periodic reviews should also be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of any remedial actions.

In conclusion

It’s clear from the statistics that many businesses are still not doing enough to protect the well-being of their workers. Through a robust reporting process where employees become empowered to play their part, incidents of all kinds are likely to become infrequent, and result in fewer tragic cases making the headlines.