Health and safety 'is important'The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is urging businesses – and particularly those in the north-east of the UK – to make a new year’s resolution to focus on safety in the workplace.

According to the watchdog, over the last year, 33 work-related incidents took place every week across North Yorkshire, meaning 1,737 employees were killed or injured during the year.

Indeed, between 2008 and 2009, three people were killed in the region every week, while a further 425 sustained major injuries and 1,309 were left needing up to three days off work as a result of the incident.

Failure to maintain correct health and safety procedures in the workplace can leave HR teams with an absence management problem.

Pam Waldron, the HSE’s north-east head of operations, said: “The new year is an opportune time to reflect on the number of incidents in the past 12 months and to take positive action to improve conditions in workplaces.”

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