Decreasing UK fatality rates with safety solutions designed to save lives
30 January 2024
With the number of fatal work injuries across the UK climbing, it is crucial that the on-site safety of personnel needs to be prioritised. Specialists in safety solutions, such as the Sentric Safety Group, can provide full-service safety solutions, from installation to maintenance, designed to mitigate error and save lives.
According to the annual data release published by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Great Britain’s workplace regulator, there were a total of 135 fatal work injuries reported between April 2022 and March 2023 – a figure higher than the year before, albeit in line with pre-pandemic figures. The HSE states that the three most common causes of fatal injuries are falls from height, being struck by a moving object, and being hit by a moving vehicle.
While Great Britian is still considered one of the safest places to work across the globe, the HSE notes that safety must continue to be prioritised, especially since the numbers have most recently increased. With the industrial safety solutions available on the market today, figures like this illustrate that there are still businesses disregarding even the most straight-forward of safety measures. With the correct and compliant safety solutions installed, industry leaders can do their part in working to mitigate the tragic loss of human life.
Trapped Key Interlocks – a formidable solution
The industries with the highest number of deaths reported, according the to the HSE, are construction, agriculture, forestry and fishing, manufacturing, and transportation and storage. Specialists like the Sentric Safety Group offer safety solutions that have been proven to mitigate accidents in harsh and safety-critical environments across a number of sectors and industries – using none other than a trapped key interlocking solution, often customised to meet the sector’s specific needs.
The trapped key interlocking solution, put simply, consists of three defined actions: isolating the hazard, transferring or exchanging sequenced keys, and then accessing the protected area or equipment. The key can only be removed when the locking bolt is in a predetermined position, meaning the system prevents anyone from trying to circumvent the default setting which is crucial to on-site safety.
Trapped key interlocks therefore provide an additional level of protection with a predetermined sequence of operations, protecting personnel, the site, as well as the reputation of the business. It’s an absolute win-win.
What about pre-existing, albeit substandard, safety measures?
What makes the trapped key interlocking solution appealing, especially to longstanding businesses who have been operating on-site in critical and harsh work environments for years and years, is that the trapped key interlocking solution is customisable, and can be incorporated into any already-existing Lock Out / Tag Out (LOTO) system - even more reason for businesses to investigate and implement this safety solution. Bespoke trapped key interlocks, such as those designed by the Sentric Safety Group, can certainly be said to be a worthy (and proven) solution to countering on-site work accidents and preventing fatalities.
It can and should be done
Everyone has the right to be safe at work. Products available on the market today from specialist safety solution providers such as the Sentric Safety Group provide this assurance, and products like their trapped key interlocks are proven to enhance safety to its maximum. While most standard safety devices do not stand up to harsh industrial and manufacturing environments, the trapped key interlock safety system does – giving business owners the peace of mind that common safety devices on the market simply cannot provide.
For more information about the Sentric Safety Group safety solutions and their TKI product offerings in the various sectors and applications, please read more at https://www.sentricsafetygroup.com/trapped-key-interlocking/, and get in touch.
Contact Details and Archive...