With four people still dying at work per week in Great Britain, a leading personal injury law firm has warned of the dangers of complacency, following the Health and Safety Executive’s latest report of a small drop in the figures.

The provisional figures reveal that 228 workers lost their lives as a result of accidents or incidents at work in 2007/08 compared to 247 workers in 2006/07. The report also shows a slight increase in the number of workers killed in the agriculture sector and a slight decrease in the construction sector.

Mick Antoniw, from Thompsons Solicitors, is not convinced: “If you were to include the road traffic accidents related to work which resulted in deaths and the increasing number of deaths from industrial diseases such as mesothelioma, the HSE results would reveal a far darker picture. Of course we welcome any decrease in deaths at work, but we must not allow any employer – however large or small - to get complacent and neglect the duty of care that they have to all of their employees.”

Antoniw continues: “Despite our record as the ‘best’ major industrial nation in Europe, Great Britain can hardly be proud that 228 people died directly as a cause of their work. A huge amount of effort is required to reduce the misery faced each year by families who lose a loved one due to negligence by an employer.”