THE number of people killed and seriously injured in workplace accidents is rising in the region, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports.

In 2003/4, there were 14 deaths across the North, compared to 13 in the previous 12-month period.

There were 1,463 cases of serious injuries, including broken bones and amputations, an increase from the previous figure of 1,293.

The HSE said improved reporting was a factor, but warned that employers still had much more work to do to make their workplaces safer.

Gordon MacDonald, director for the HSE in Yorkshire and the North-East, said: "These figures amount to a huge toll of personal suffering, reduced productivity and economic loss. The continung high levels of injury show that there is still a lot more that employers in the North-East, working with their employees, need to do.

"Sensible health and safety is about managing risks - not eliminating them all - but these figures show that too many organisations are not managing risks nearly as effectively as they should be."

The region reflected the national picture, with overall fatal injuries increasing four per cent from 227 to 235.

About half were in two sectors - agriculture, forestry and fishing, and construction.

The number of reported major injuries to employees was 30,666 in 2003/04, up nine per cent on the previous year.

More than a third of all reported major injuries were caused by "slips and trips".

Earlier this week, the HSE reported that North-East firms had been fined a total £654,500 between March last year and the same time this year, as a result of prosecutions brought by the agency.

It said 73 firms had admitted health and safety breaches and were fined an average of £8,965 by the courts.