INTERNATIONAL Workers Memorial Day was marked in Halesowen this week as shocking statistics were revealed about workplace accidents in Sandwell and Dudley.

On Monday Halesowen and Rowley Regis Labour Party and the GMB trade union held a service in the grounds of St John's Church, Queensway.

The memorial day is marked across the world and its motto is "remember the dead and fight for the living."

Stephanie Peacock, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Halesowen and Rowley Regis said: “Still too may avoidable injuries and deaths occur in the workplace.

"It is important we have enforceable and enforced legislation, employers working together with the trades unions to improve health and safety in order to reduce the number of workplace accidents, injuries and deaths, so many of which are avoidable.”

In the West Midlands last year eight people were killed at work, one of the highest number in the UK.

There was one death and 88 major non-fatal workplace injuries in the Dudley borough in the last 12 months and 92 injuries across the Sandwell.

Among the causes of injuries in Sandwell and Dudley are falls from height, contact with electricity, exposed to fire, contact with machinery and being trapped from collapsing buildings or scaffold.

Miss Peacock said: "It is a terrible situation that the West Midlands has one of the highest numbers of work place deaths and injuries in the country.

"The government’s persistent ideological attacks on key health and safety legislation threaten even more accidents, injuries and deaths at work.

"In the last four years the government has drastically cut the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and inspections have fallen by as much as 93% with funding to the HSE cut by 40 per cent."