The majority of firms have realised that a good health and safety record can make the business more profitable, according to an industry watchdog.
A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive says that more companies are concentrating on reducing the number of incidents occurring in the workplace, as both new staff and potential clients are attracted to a good safety bill.
The main reason for improving practices is often a legal one, he states, as it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that workers are protected, which may boost the need for public liability insurance.
"There may be a prosecution involved, staff morale suffers, and productivity suffers, so it's good business sense to get health and safety right," the representative explains.
According to the latest statistics published by the organisation, the provisional figure for the number of workers fatally injured in 2008/09 is 180, or the equivalent of 0.59 fatalities per 100,000 workers, which illustrates the need for employers liability insurance.