More compensation claims for injuries in food and drink sector?

There may a higher rate of compensation claims made for injuries suffered by workers in the food and drink manufacturing sector.

According to Aviva, the industry is more dangerous than construction.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures cited by the firm revealed that the rate of injury among employees involved in production of food and drink is 1.6 times that of construction workers.

"When you look at the bigger picture, including serious and minor injuries ... food and drink workers are more likely to be involved in an accident than construction workers," stated Brian Wallace, head of Aviva Risk Management Solutions.

HSE figures show that over the course of 2008-09 there were a total of 246,000 reportable workplace injuries in the UK.

This represented a fall from the 299,000 recorded in the previous 12-month period but the organisation warned firms that more needs to be done to protect staff members.