The leather and footwear industries employ around 9,000 people in 750 businesses, with a turnover of £761m. (Source: National Statistics Annual Business Inquiry 2006).

In the leather industry, the main causes of injury are:

• handling and sprains (particularly the handling of hides)
• slips and trips
• contact with machinery

These three causes account for nearly 80% of all reported injuries.

In the footwear industry, the main causes of injury are:

• slips and trips
• manual handling/musculoskeletal injuries
• being struck by moving or falling objects

These three causes account for nearly 90% of all reported injuries.

These web pages contain information about health and safety for the footwear and leather industries. They also provide details on how to obtain further health and safety information via HSE's free and priced publications.