A TOTAL of 232 people were injured in local workplaces last year - and one employee died.

The toll should act as a stark reminder for the district's businesses of the need for safety, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The HSE has just released figures of work-related accidents and deaths for all local authorities in the east of England in 2008.

A total of 13,821 people were either killed or injured in the region.

Simon Longbottom, HSE operations manager, said: "Every fortnight somebody died at work in the east of England last year. Some 266 people were injured every week.

"Behind these statistics are cases of real suffering and, for some, hardship through loss of income.

"We are asking that businesses take practical action to manage the risks that people face in their day-to-day work."