Twenty people died at work in Scotland last year, according to the latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive.

That equates to 0.8 deaths per 100,000 workers and is an increase from the 14 deaths the year before.

Provisional data for the period from April 2011 to March 2012 showed that 173 people were fatally injured at work, across Britain.

That figure is down 2 from the previous year but the rate of fatal injury stays at 0.6 per 100,000 injuries.

Judith Hackitt, the chair of the HSE, said that although Britain had low rates of workplace deaths compared with other parts of Europe, each death was a "tragedy" to families and loved ones.

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She said: "We must not forget that these are lives cut short, not statistics - every single one of these deaths will have caused terrible grief and anguish for family and friends as well as workmates and colleagues. This is the real tragedy of health and safety failures - lives cut short and loved ones lost. We want employers to focus on the real risks that continue to cause death and serious injury. HSE is working very hard to make it easier for people to understand what they need to do and to focus on the real priorities. Protecting people from death and serious injury at work should be at the heart of what we all do."

Forty-nine fatal injuries were recorded to construction workers across Britain last year, just one less than the death toll of fifty the year before.

(NE/GK)