Employee deaths rise in Scotland

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed that there were 33 fatal injuries to workers in Scotland during the 12 months to the end of March, the Edinburgh News has claimed.

Of those deaths, nine were caused by the explosion which occured at the Stockline Plastics factory, based in Glasgow.

Nationwide, the number of workers killed in the workplace decreased to its lowest total since the mid 1970s, with 220 reported incidents.

The chairman of the Health and Safety Commission, Bill Callaghan, believes steps have been made concerning employee safety in the workplace, but there is still room for improvement.

"Within the EU, only Sweden has a lower rate of workplace fatal injuries than Britain. But more deaths could be prevented with enough commitment from senior managers and the active involvement of employees," he told the paper.

The HSE's figures showed that agriculture and construction were the two industries with the highest number of casualties.

An inquiry into the blast at the Stockline Plastics factory is to begin on 2nd June.