‘Alarming rise’ in deaths in South Yorkshire prompts intervention

An “alarming rise” in work-related fatalities and injuries in the Sheffield and Rotherham area of Yorkshire over the last five years prompted an HSE inspection drive there last month. Between 2014 and 2021, 12 workers were killed and another 594 were seriously injured.

Twenty-two HSE inspectors targeted businesses carrying out welding and using metalworking fluids, visiting more than 70 local businesses operating in a high-risk sector or performing poorly. In 2020, around 12,000 people in the UK died from lung diseases likely to be linked to past exposure from such work. There is evidence to suggest exposure to welding fumes can cause lung cancer, while exposure to metalworking fluids can cause a range of lung diseases, the HSE reported.

Companies had to demonstrate “they have measures in place to manage risks to protect the health and well-being of their workers including health conditions such as occupational lung disease”. The HSE said inspectors would take “the necessary enforcement action” if they identified areas of concern during an inspection.