The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released its 2008-9 figures for accidents and fatalities at work, and although they are an improvement on the previous year's numbers, 26 Scots still lost their lives in workplace incidents during the year.

A total of 2,835 workers suffered major injuries, with a further 8,894 reported accidents where victims had to take three or more days off work. The figures are an improvement on the previous year's statistics, but the HSE says that employers need to make more of an effort to bring those numbers down further.

Slips, trips and falls still top of the list! With icy conditions gripping the country, slips, trips and falls are bound to happen. But throughout the year, these types of accidents at work still constitute the highest number of claims for injury, with falls from height producing some of the worst injuries and even fatalities. The HSE is concerned that the vast majority of these types of accidents is entirely preventable and is calling on employers to ensure that the pattern is not repeated in 2010.

In Scotland, the industries with the most deaths and serious injuries are agriculture, quarrying and construction - all considered to be 'high risk' occupations with a high degree of associated hazards attached to them. However, the HSE's report also shows clearly that even in what would be considered relatively 'safe' environments such as schools and care homes, the number of injuries is unacceptably high.

Real life tragedies. Behind the statistics lie real life tragedies affecting ordinary people and their families. From relatively minor injuries to tragic fatalities, any workplace can be hazardous, and it is the employers and employees responsibility to keep that level of risk to a minimum. If a situation causes a member of staff to suffer an injury, then not only does that person have a right to compensation for their injuries and any loss of earnings, but it also means that somewhere along the line, the employer's duty of care has been compromised. It is this that needs to be highlighted, so that the cycle can be broken and nobody else suffers the same fate.

Jobs are hard to come by in a recession, and workers often worry that they may be discriminated against if they bring a claim for compensation against an employer. However, the truth is that no employer wants to see any of their workers hurt in the course of their daily work, and those with a genuine reason for claiming receive the support of both their co-workers and their boss throughout the process. It is the insurer, not the employer, who pays out in the event of a successful claim, so the presumption that a claim indicates an employee who is out to make a quick pile of cash from a poor, hard-done-by boss is a misnomer created by a headline-hungry media.

The HSE is upping the ante in 2010, and has made it abundantly clear that they will come down hard on any employer found to be less than vigilant when it comes to worker safety. All parties, including the specialist solicitors who deal with compensation claims, want to see the number of deaths and injuries fall. But for those who are injured at work, they can rest assured that a system remains in place that means they will be compensated fairly for their suffering should the worst happen.