It is certainly true that there is a very negative view of Health and Safety in the media, but a recent survey seems to suggest that such a view is also prevalent amongst employees themselves.

A survey recently carried out by the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health showed that only a tenth of the employees they interviewed believed that health and safety was a priority concern in their workplace, whilst 15% of respondents believed that health and safety caused unnecessary bureaucracy.

However, the very same respondents also massively underestimated the number of workplace injuries which are sustained every year in the UK. A huge 46% of survey participants believed that there were 50,000 workplace injuries each year, when the real figure is around 300,000. Furthermore, over 4.5 million working days were lost in 2008-2009 as a result of injuries sustained at work.

As Raleys Solicitors have often been keen to point out, workplace health and safety must be a priority to protect employees.