Thirteen people have been killed while working in Norfolk and Suffolk in 12 months, a new study reveals today.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the 2010/11 workplace death toll compared with no deaths in Norfolk and two in Suffolk during the same period in 2009/10.

A further 671 people suffered major injuries in workplaces across the two counties.

Four workers died in January in Great Yarmouth when a steel structure collapsed. Three deaths were reported in King's Lynn and West Norfolk, one in the boundaries of South Norfolk District Council and one in the North Norfolk District Council area. In Suffolk, the HSE noted two deaths in Forest Heath and a further two in Mid Suffolk.

Simon Longbottom, HSE's head of operations in the East of England, said 'These statistics highlight why we need good health and safety in British workplaces. Employers should spend their time tackling the real dangers that workers face rather than worrying about trivial risks or pointless paperwork.

'It's important to remember that we still have one of the lowest rates of workplace deaths in Europe, but one death is still one too many. I'd urge businesses to help cut the number of deaths in 2012.'

The HSE's latest provisional figures show 171 people were killed at work in Great Britain between April 2010 and March 2011.

There were 147 deaths in 2009/10. More than 24,700 workers also suffered a major injury in 2010/11.

High-risk industries include construction, agriculture and waste and recycling, according to the HSE.