In Brief: HSE; Yorkshire Tourist Organisation; Leeds Bradford Airport

NEW figures show that 15 people lost their lives while at work in Yorkshire and the Humber in 2012/13 and 1,877 suffered a major injury.

This is one more death than was recorded the previous year but major injuries dropped by some 350 from 2,239 in 2011/12.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is urging businesses to focus on their legal responsibility to ensure lives are not put at risk and make the safety of workers their top priority for 2014.

West Yorkshire posted the highest number of deaths at seven, two more than the year before, and was also highest for major injuries at 753, but the latter was still a fall from 904 recorded in 2011/12. In South Yorkshire, there was one more death in 2012/13 with four, plus 482 major injuries, down from 496.

In the Humber, in 2012/13 there was one fatality, compared to three in 2011/12 and 338 major injuries, a fall of some 150 on the previous year. In North Yorkshire, there were three deaths, the same as the 2011/12, but major injuries also fell, from 344 to 304.

John Rowe, HSE head of operations for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “It is heartening to see that there was a significant drop in the number of major injuries in the region. However, the families of those 15 workers in Yorkshire and the Humber who lost their lives last year had to face Christmas without them. And there are still hundreds of workers who suffer life-changing injury and debilitation because of a major injury.

“While the number of workplace deaths and major injuries has decreased nationally, these statistics, and the human cost behind them, highlight why we still need good health and safety in workplaces. Employers could do their staff and their businesses a good deed by spending time tackling the real dangers that workers face, in the factories, on the building sites, in the workshops and on the farms.

“It’s important to remember that while we still have one of the lowest rates of workplace deaths in Europe, one death is still one too many. I would urge businesses to focus on helping to cut the number of deaths further in 2014.”  

:::

A NEW business and social enterprise in Rotherham is bringing Polish and UK businesses closer together and promoting Yorkshire as a tourist destination.

Along with his business partners, Mariusz Staniursk spotted an opportunity to set up a social enterprise – Yorkshire Tourist Organisation (YTO) to encourage more tourists from Eastern European to visit Yorkshire.  They have also set up Narvia Tourist Info Centre (TIC), an event management business that will run exhibitions and conferences that connect businesses from Eastern Europe with those in the UK for mutual benefit. 

The project is being done with the support of the ERDF funded project ‘Growth and Prosperity in Rotherham’ (Soft Landing Zone) managed by Rotherham Investment Development Office (RiDO).

Yorkshire Tourist Organization is a partner of Narvia TIC, which is currently organising its first major exhibition – Yorkshire Investment & Tourism Expo and is designed to build links and connect businesses in the UK and Eastern Europe. 

Julia Millea, business co-ordinator for RiDO’s Soft Landing Zone, said: “Yorkshire Tourist Organization is a fantastic new venture, which should open up lots of opportunities for promoting Yorkshire to the Eastern European region.”

:::

LEEDS Bradford Airport has had a record breaking number of passengers in 2013 with 3.3m flying through the airport, an increase of 11% on last year.

The past 12 months have seen the airport expand to serve more than 70 domestic and international destinations alongside the introduction of important new airlines such as British Airways, Monarch and Thomson Airways.

Tony Hallwood, aviation development and marketing director, said: “2013 has been a truly remarkable year for Leeds Bradford Airport as we expanded our services offering more domestic and international destinations than ever before.

“As Yorkshire’s international gateway we have a clear ambition to deliver a wider range of airlines and routes for our local business and leisure passengers alongside encouraging an increase in the number of inbound visitors who can fly directly into Leeds Bradford.

“LBA looks forward to welcoming new Yorkshire travellers to the airport in 2014.”