But hasn’t Health & Safety gone too far these days?

No. A lot of the stories you hear in the papers are grossly exaggerated or sometimes entirely fabricated. Here are some Health & Safety facts. According to the latest statistics:

• 1.3 million working people suffering from a work-related illness
• 2,595 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures (2016)
• 144 workers killed at work (2017/18)
• 609,000 injuries occurred at work according to the Labour Force Survey
• 70,116 injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR
• 31.2 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury
• £14.9 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2015/16)