12m Britons hurt at work in the last year

Research by insurer RSA has shown that a large number of people have incurred an injury or illness in the workplace, 11.8m Britons in the last 12 months.

The variety of problems is vast with one-quarter (26%) of those taken ill at work mostly having suffered from stress and anxiety and another quarter from back problems. Four percent suffered breathing problems and seven percent a musculoskeletal disorder.
These accidents and illnesses are having a significant effect on UK business as employees are having to take time off work. Nearly one in five (17%) of those injured in the workplace or who have become ill due to their working conditions have had to take between one and six months off work to recover.

In 2006 and 2007 alone, 30 million working days were lost due to work-related ill health and six million due to workplace injury. On top of this figure, almost 200,000 Britons have had to leave work permanently due to illness or injury caused at work over their working lives.

And employees are taking action and seeking compensation for the injuries or illnesses they suffer. Over half (54%) of those injured at work have sued their employer with others taking issues to their trade unions (33%) or making complaints to their line manager (14%).

Colin Bradbury, Underwriting Director at RSA, said: "These figures show a significant number of injuries and illnesses are being incurred in the workplace. If there are team members missing or unable to take part in decisions, this can only have a negative effect on the business and involve the company in significant costs.

"This highlights the importance of risk management in safeguarding employees health and ensuring a productive workplace. In addition to insurance, RSA can also provide input into risk control programmes.

"RSA's rehabilitation scheme, RSA Care, provides timely and empathetic support to workers who have been injured and ensuring they return to work and health as soon as possible. RSA ensures the injured person receives the treatment they need and speeds up the process by booking appointments direct with practitioners. This means they can get back to work quickly with all the help they need and costs are reduced for their employers.

For more information on how RSA care, visit rsagroup.com.