Working Outside the Box: Statistics
In 1974 in the UK alone, 652 employees landed up inside the box due to work related accidents. 40 years later in 2013/2014, 85 employees landed up in the same position.
This number does not include any self-employed workers or non-employees such as members of the public. It also does not include road traffic accidents or workers that have died from asbestos-related diseases.
The total number of employees and self-employed people who have been inside the box since 1974 is 14,126.
According to the Health and Safety Executive, 98% of all accidents are preventable and 2% are acts of God, whether you believe in him or not. That means that 13,483.48 people died due to preventable fatal accidents.
Although the number of fatalities has fallen dramatically since 1974, last year 85 people gave their lives unnecessarily.
Other countries too, have major accidents where employees and others land up inside the box.
1960 South Africa, Orange Free State – Coalbrook Mine disaster killed 435
1973 Nigeria – Kano air crash killed 176
1984 India – Bhopal gas leak killed 3500 people within days and a further 15000 over the next few years.
1987 Belgium – The Herald of Free Enterprise capsized ferry killed 193 passengers and crew.
2001 Ghana – Accra Sports Stadium disaster killed 127 people.
2002 UAE – Dubai dry docks flooded killing 27 workers.
2012 Saudi Arabia -Riyadh truck accident killed 26 people.
2012 Hong Kong – Lamma Island ferry collision killed 39 people.
2013 Canada – Lac-Megantic rail disaster killed 47 people.
2013 Bangladesh -Rana Plaza collapse killing over 1300 workers.
2014 South Korea – Sinking of MV Sewol killed 300 people mainly teenagers.
2015 China. Tianjin – Chemical explosion killing 85 and rising.
“Wow” you may say. “But what about closer to home. Surely we don’t have such fatalities in such numbers.” Let’s have a look……
1975 Flixborough Explosion – Number of dead: 28
1979 Golborne Colliery -Number of dead: 10
1984 Abbeystead Pumping Station – Number of dead: 16
1985 Putney Domestic Gas explosion – Number of dead: 8
1985 Bradford Football Stadium -Number of dead: 56
1987 Kings Cross Fire – Number of dead: 31
1988 Clapham Rail – Number of dead : 35
1988 Piper Alpha – Number of dead: 167
1988 Clapham Rail – Number of dead: 35
1989 Hillsborough Football Stadium – Number of dead: 96
1997 Southall Rail – Number of dead: 7
1999 Ladbrook Grove Rail – Number of dead: 31
2004 Morecombe Bay Cockle pickers -Number of dead: 23? (No-one is sure of the exact numbers)
2004 Maryhill Glasgow ICL Plastics factory explosion -Number of dead: 9
2005 London Bombings – Number of dead: 52
2013 Glasgow Helicopter Disaster – Number of dead: 10
2013 London Apollo Theatre Roof Collapse – Number of injured: 50
2015 Cheshire Wood Flour Mills – Number of dead: 4
2015 Shoreham Air Show Crash – Number of dead: 11
Make sure that you and your employees work “outside the box”, think “outside the box” and stay “outside the box”.
