For the past 19 years, the British Plastics Federation (BPF) has been collecting and publishing data regarding accidents in the workplace of its member companies to gauge the areas in which support would be most beneficial.
The survey, which was published this week, indicates that the most common accident within the 110 firms that responded was due to “handling, lifting or carrying”, accounting for 18% of accidents. This has increased from the previous year and reconfirms it as the most common type of accident within the plastics industry.
The report also shows that “other cuts” (not knife-related injuries) and a “hit against stationary object” were other dominant causes of accidents, with both accounting for 14% of accidents. Sharp edges, contact with machine blades, trimming tools and cardboard packaging were among the major causes of non-knife-related cuts. It is worth pointing out that if the figures for knife-related injuries are added to those for non-knife-related accidents, cuts account for almost a quarter of all accidents in the plastics industry.
The next most common types of accident are “slip, trip or fall from same level” (13%) and “hit by moving, including flying or falling object” (11%).
SIMPL Steps
In 2010, the BPF together with the Health and Safety Executive and other trade associations, trade unions and trade organisations, launched SIMPL (Safety In Manufacturing Plastics), a health and safety strategy for the plastics industry that aims to reduce accidents in the sector. So far, more than 100 companies have signed the SIMPL pledge. The statistics show that the number of accidents for those that have signed up to SIMPL was the lowest since the programme began.
BPF Head of Public & Industrial Affairs Francisco Morcillo, states:
Workers’ safety is of paramount importance so we are pleased to see that the number of major accidents is at its lowest since 2012. Most encouraging is the achievement of the SIMPL programme, with those signed up to the scheme reporting the lowest number of accidents since the scheme began in 2010.
If you would like to sign up to SIMPL or require further information, please contact Sara Cammarano at scammarano@bpf.co.uk