THE Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is urging businesses to make the safety of workers their top priority for 2014 after newly released figures show that 15 people lost their lives while at work in the North West in 2012/13.


The figures also identified that 2,337 people suffered a major injury while working – 55 cases of which were in Trafford.


However, 128 major injuries were recorded in the brough in 2011/12, more than double this year’s total.


Nationally, the provisional figures show that the number of deaths across Great Britain has fallen in the last year, with 148 people killed at work, compared to 171 deaths during 2011/12.


More than 20,600 workers also suffered a major injury in 2012/13, representing a 10.8 per cent drop on the previous year.


Rick Brunt, HSE’s head of operations in the North West, said: “The families of those workers in the North West who lost their lives last year had to face Christmas without them and hundreds of other workers have had their lives changed forever by a major injury.


“Whilst the number of workplace deaths and major injuries has decreased nationally, these statistics highlight why we still need to manage risk in workplaces.


“I therefore urge employers to focus their efforts on tackling the real dangers that workers face and stop worrying about trivial matters or devoting excessive time to paperwork.”


Information on tackling health and safety dangers in workplaces is available on HSE’s website at hse.gov.uk.