IN 2007-08, 229 workers died in accidents in British workplaces. Twenty-eight of these people were employed in the south-west of England, four of whom worked in Dorset.

Thousands more die from occupational diseases, like mesothelioma or cancers linked to their employment, and in workplace road accidents. Internationally, 335,000 workers die every year as a direct result of their work.

These terrible figures tell us that health and safety at work is not just the preserve of ‘experts’ like me.

It’s something everyone has to engage with and understand. Achieving good health and safety is a team effort, and if one member of the team under performs it can have dire consequences for many others.

Today is International Workers Memorial Day.

It’s an opportunity to remember those whose lives have been needlessly cut short at work.

But as well as remembering those who’ve died, it asks all of us to reflect on what we do at work.

So I urge everyone in Dorset to take a few minutes to think about your work on this day, and identify hazards to yourself and others so that we can make the workplace safer for everyone. Doing this might just help ensure you and your colleagues go home safe and healthy at the end of the working day, which is surely the goal of all good employers and employees.


NATTASHA FREEMAN, president, Institution of Occupational Safety and Health