A total of 78 accidents involving staff were recorded in the last financial year by Redcar and Cleveland Council.

Of those four were reported to the Health and Safety Executive as major injuries, the council said.

Meanwhile between the end of March – the end of the 2022/23 financial year – and August this year, 27 further accidents were recorded at the local authority.

Taking both periods into account, there were 11 instances involving workplace accidents which resulted in staff having to take time off lasting more than seven days.

An update for members of the council’s employment, health and scrutiny committee said the biggest proportion of accidents (28%) resulted from people being injured while handling, carrying or lifting an item.

The next largest category was slips, trips or falls (24%) followed by a person being hit by a moving, flying or falling object (16%).

The update also revealed the recent level of assaults that occurred at the local authority involving staff.

In 2023/24 – up to the end of August – 17 physical assaults were notified and six involving verbal abuse.

This was a rise in the 15 either physical or verbal assaults recorded in the same five-month period the previous financial year.

The council was currently developing and testing a new accident reporting system, the update said, aimed at streamlining the process.

A successful recruitment exercise also resulted in the appointment of a new health and safety officer to join the council with a focus on environmental services.

Recent health and safety training delivered by the council included fire safety and a training package relating to hazards associated with electric vehicles.

The council said staff were encouraged to complete health and safety training as part of their induction when joining, while targeted training was carried out where a need was identified.