A SAFETY watchdog is marking its 40th anniversary by urging businesses to make the welfare of their staff the top priority in 2015.

The Health and Safety Executive made the plea as new figures revealed 17 people lost their lives while at work across Yorkshire and Humber in 2013/14 and 7,422 suffered injury.

That compares with 15 deaths and 7,649 injuries the previous year. In North Yorkshire, there were five workers killed and around 1,100 injuries were reported; with three deaths and slightly fewer injuries in 2012/13.

Across the region more than 110,000 people were estimated to have been made ill through their work over the same period, nearly 18,000 of them in North Yorkshire.

John Rowe, head of operations for HSE in Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “The families of the workers in our region who lost their lives last year have just had to spend the festive period without their loved ones. AndSadly there were two more deaths in the region than the previous year. The decrease in the injury figures should be welcomed. We are continuing to head slowly in the right direction.” but there is scope for more improvement.

“We can still go further and challenge the industries where there is room to do more to protect worker safety.”