New figures have revealed that Staffordshire Moorlands is one of the most dangerous areas in the West Midlands to work – while Tamworth is among the safest.
The latest data from the Health and Safety Executive, analysed by field management software experts Re-flow Field Management, shows that Staffordshire Moorlands ranks third in the region for workplace injuries.
Between April 2023 and March 2024, there were 99 non-fatal injuries reported in the district – a rate of 336 per 100,000 employees, which is 54.8 per cent above the national average. That makes Staffordshire Moorlands the 34th most dangerous area to work in Great Britain overall.
Elsewhere in the county, East Staffordshire recorded a rate of 262 non-fatal injuries per 100,000 employees – 20.7 per cent higher than the national average – placing it 10th in the West Midlands.
Stoke-on-Trent ranked 13th, recording 254 non-fatal injuries per 100,000 employees, 17.1 per cent above average, while Lichfield reported a rate of 215 injuries per 100,000 employees, just below the national average.
Stafford (197), Newcastle-under-Lyme (196) and Cannock Chase (193) also performed better than average. Figures were not available for South Staffordshire.
Tamworth was the standout performer, ranking 27th out of 29 West Midlands authorities and recording just 177 non-fatal injuries per 100,000 workers, 18.4 per cent below the national average.
Across the wider West Midlands, North Warwickshire topped the regional and national table with 824 non-fatal injuries per 100,000 employees – nearly four times the Great Britain average – followed by Sandwell (366). Warwick, meanwhile, was the safest area to work, with an injury rate of just 172 per 100,000 employees.
Ashley Wing, CMO of Re-flow Field Management, said: “Workplace injuries can be devastating for a business and its stakeholders. The human cost can be extremely high, with injured workers and their families potentially facing life-changing consequences from a workplace injury. For the business itself, there may be lengthy legal cases and substantial financial penalties if an employee is injured at work and the company is found liable.
“This prompted us to look at which areas have the highest workplace injury rates in the country. We found that areas with the highest rates of injury tended to have high proportions of manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing industries within them. These industries have some of the highest rates of reported workplace injuries, and had over a quarter of all workplace injuries by industry sector in 2023/24.
“While not every injury in the workplace can be avoided, the vast majority can be. Ensuring that employees have been well trained in health and safety measures, that all relevant safety measures are followed in the workplace, and that any incidents that could cause injury are used as ways to improve safety practices in future can all help prevent injuries at work.”
The study ranked 336 areas of Great Britain using the latest HSE data from April 2023 to March 2024.
