Health and Safety Priorities for the Food and Drink Sector

The food and drink manufacturing sector is the largest single manufacturing industry in UK with 7,600 businesses. It employs 13 % of the manufacturing workforce with over 500,000 workers and is responsible for 25% of all injuries in the manufacturing. The injury rate is only second to Mining and Quarrying and in between 1991 to 2001 accounted for in excess of 115,000 reportable over 3 day injuries and 51 fatalities. It is for this reason that the HSE has undertaken extensive research into the causes of accidents and ill health and identified priority areas for action. The priority areas are:

• Manual handling/musculoskeletal injury (29% of reported accidents)
  
• Slips on wet or food contaminated floors (25% of reported accidents of which 80% are slips, and 90% of those on wet/contaminated floors)
  
• Struck by something typically a hand knife, or could be a wheeled truck, box falling off shelf etc. (15% of reported accidents)
• Machinery (8% of reported accidents)
• Falls from height (7% of reported accidents)
• Workplace transport including FLT’s. (3% of reported accidents but tend to be serious)
• Noise (accounts for 75% of all occupational disease claims)
• Dermatitis (from washing, foodstuffs etc.)
• Occupational asthma and rhinitis where there are suitable dusts (esp. smaller bakeries).
• Occupational stress
  

Advice and guidance on tacking the priority areas is detailed in the HSE publication a "Recipe for health and safety". Sector specific guidance is also available:

• Bakery and flour - Priorities for health and safety in the bakery and flour confectionery industry
  
• Biscuit manufacture - Priorities for health and safety in the biscuit manufacturing industry
  
• Catering - Priorities for health and safety in catering activities
  
• Cocoa, chocolate and sugar confectionary - Priorities for health and safety in the cocoa, chocolate and sugar confectionery industry
  
• Compound food industry - Priorities for health and safety in the compound feed industry
  
• Dairy - Priorities for health and safety in the dairy industry
  
• Fish processing - Priorities for health and safety in the fish processing industry
  
• Flour and grain - Priorities for health and safety in the flour and grain milling industries
• Fruit and vegetables - Priorities for the fruit and vegetable industry
  
• Poultry industry - Priorities for health and safety in the poultry processing industry
  
• Flour and grain - Priorities for health and safety in the flour and grain milling industries industries
  
• Meat processing - Priorities for health and safety in the meat processing industry
  
• Potable spirits industry - Priorities for Health and Safety in the potable spirits industry
  
• Slaughter industry - Priorities for health and safety in the slaughtering industry
  
• Soft drinks - Priorities for health and safety in the soft drinks industry
  

Further information may also be found on the HSE website.

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