Plastics Industry Accident Rate ‘Improves Further’

The rate of accidents in the plastics industry in the UK is improving, new figures have revealed, with a reduction on rates being seen for the fifth year in a row.

Figures from the British Plastics Federation (BPF) show that 16.7 per cent of accidents in the industry are to do with handling, lifting or carrying, while injuries caused by knives and other cuts account for more than 22 per cent of all accidents. In fact, cuts are the biggest cause of accident in the industry for BPF members.

Meanwhile, incidents arising from impacts against a stationary object accounted for 16.4 per cent, while slips, trips and falls made up 15.5 per cent of all accidents.

“It is encouraging to see a steady downward trend in accidents. It is true that there are areas that need to be worked on to improve the results and by doing so will improve the safety and health of our work force,” chairman of the BPF’s Industrial Health and Safety Committee Alan Brown said.

One of the best ways of reducing the chances of having an accident at work is by making sure all your employees wear the appropriate safety clothing. This could be anything from overalls and heavy duty boots to hivis jackets, depending on the nature of the job they’re doing.

In order to find out just what kind of clothes are most appropriate for your workforce, you will likely need to carry out a risk assessment so you can work out just what dangers your members of staff face.