The report also shows a decrease in the number of construction workers killed - down from 79 to 72.

Responding to the released figures HSE Chair Judith Hackitt said, "Whilst we welcome the headline decrease in overall numbers of fatalities, there is absolutely no room for complacency as the report suggests a plateau in the overall five year trend.

"Great Britain's position amongst major European Union countries is in relative terms a creditable one, but none can find it acceptable that 228 people died directly as a cause of their work. After many years of improvement, it is disappointing that we are on a performance plateau. This stresses the need for everyone, employers and employees alike to make a further effort to reduce this total of human misery.

Evidence shows that where employers and employees work closely together to agree the agenda and set targets to tackle real issues, they have made significant improvements.

Headline statistics:

Industry sectors    Workers   (2007/08)    Workers (2006/07)
                   

Agriculture, forestry and fishing  39           36
Construction                                 72           79
Manufacturing                              34           35
Services                                        74            86