The Health and Safety Executive has released figures that say the number of people killed at work in Britain fell last year to a record low point.

Allegedly this is due to “good practice, leadership and employee engagement” although the head of the HSE admits the recession “has resulted in lower levels of activity in some sectors”.

I think that far more profound changes in British working life, such as the decline in heavy industry, have played a major part in lowering accident rates. If you don’t have many coal mines, you won’t have many deaths due to coal mining disasters, for instance.

The HSE report was worrying in one respect. Deaths in agriculture, which the HSE now classes as the most dangerous industry in Britain, soared to 38 last year compared with 25 the previous year.

But does anyone pay much attention to poor farm labourers these days?

LAWRENCE SMITH, North Oxford