A HSE (Health and Safety Executive) report has shown that there were 135 work-related injuries in Great Britain from April 2022 to March 2023. Being struck by a moving vehicle accounted for 20 of these deaths. It was the third highest cause of workplace fatalities. This is a firm reminder of why the correct operator and driver training are so important.
Luckily, Great Britian is one of the safest places in the world to work. The number of fatal injuries to workers has steadily declined. Deaths per 100,000 workers remain at similar rates each year. However, the latest figures represent an increase from the 123 workplace fatalities in the previous year.
The most common causes of fatal injuries are:
- Falls from height (40)
- Being struck by a moving object (29)
- Being struck by a moving vehicle (20)
- Trapped by something collapsing/overturning (12)
- Contact with moving machinery (9)
The construction industry saw the most fatalities caused by workplace injuries. There were 45 deaths over the year. This was more than double the sector with the next greatest number (Agriculture, forestry, and fishing – 21).
The transport and storage and manufacturing industries both experienced 15 workplace fatalities. Encouragingly this was a decrease from last year in both sectors.
However, 15 deaths are still too many. Undoubtedly some of these injuries could have been avoided. Through greater knowledge, better management and supervision, different company culture, and safer working practices.
Often when there is an accident, the operator or driver is blamed. And, of course, ensuring that operators and drivers are correctly trained and working safely is vitally important. However, managers and supervisors also play an important part in preventing incidents in workplace transport operations. They should therefore always receive the correct training too.
To reduce injuries, businesses must also work harder to encourage a culture of safety. One where taking risks is never tolerated. And where unsafe behaviour is reported, and remedial action is taken. Having strong safety processes is important for protecting workers, and others too. 68 members of the public were killed following a work-related incident in 2022/23. Although, this is a decrease of 20 compared to last year.
At RTITB, our mission is to save lives in workplace transport operations. Though we are encouraged that fatality rates are not increasing, we are disappointed to see that they are not decreasing more rapidly. 15 fatalities in transport and storage may not sound like a lot. But even one avoidable fatality is too many. Especially if you imagine that person could be your colleague, friend, or relative.
RTITB has many solutions in place ready to support organisations. We can help you deliver a higher standard of training, keep people safe, and reduce incidents involving moving vehicles. These include:
- RTITB Accreditation – Our Accredited Partners receive the resources and support needed to deliver standardised lift truck operator training of the highest quality. Our experts assess and accredit the entire MHE operation. This supports safety and operation-wide compliance.
- eLearning – Our eLearning courses for LGV, forklift and plant operator training give employers novice theory and refresher training options. There are no excuses not to deliver high quality training. We have made it so easy! We even have an eLearning course especially for Forklift Managers and Supervisors.
- eLibrary – The RTITB eLibrary contains a range of standardised forklift, plant and LGV courses for your operators and drivers, including presentations, videos, handouts, and more. It helps you ensure the courses that your training team are delivering are high quality, up to date, and compliant with legislation. This supports safer operations.
- Driver CPC Consortium – Joining the Consortium gives you everything you need to create customised Driver CPC Periodic Training. Our engaging training materials are kept up to date to cover the real-world needs of drivers. Through this training, businesses can help make HGV/LGV/PCV/PSV drivers safer.
If you need more information on any of these solutions, please contact our team for advice on transforming your workplace transport training.