Why Friday 13th isn't the most unlucky day of the year

Being killed by cattle is the most common workplace death in the Highlands.

But now new research has revealed that Friday 13th is not the date people should be most cautious of - with Tuesday 8th the day people are most likely to die at work.

A total of 373 people have died on a Tuesday in the UK and 84 workplace deaths occurred on the 8th of the month, while just 327 people died on a Friday and 80 on the 13th. This makes Tuesday 8th the deadliest date of all, according to an analysis of ONS data.

The Scottish Highlands boasts the highest number of workplace deaths in the UK at 38 - with being killed by cattle the most common accident. Meanwhile the second and third most dangerous locations are also in Scotland. A total of 35 and 32 people in Glasgow and Aberdeenshire respectively died at work since 2008.

The 10-year study by Health and Safety experts CE Safety found that a total of 1,526 people have died at work since 2008 with rates remaining fairly consistent over the last 10 years.

The analysis reveals that construction is the deadliest industry to work in with the majority being hit by heavy objects such as concrete blocks, cars, or forklift trucks.

Gary Ellis, senior consultant from CE Safety, said: “Workplace accidents often occur as a result of fatigue. Employers are ultimately responsible for the safety of their employees, and the many regulations and training available should be enough to start seeing these rates decline. Unfortunately, the statistics show that they remain the same – and in our opinion, means not enough is being done.”