The government has been called upon by the TUC to ignore calls from business groups for the reduction of health and safety related "red tape" after a report from the union body revealed that at least 20,000 people - the equivalent to the entire population of the Orkney Islands - die early each year as a result of their work, because of conditions such as occupational cancers and lung disorders, fatal car accidents and exposure to fumes and chemicals.

Findings in the report show that many workers are also injured in the course of their work, pointing to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) estimates that while 246,000 injuries in the workplace should have been reported last year, many workplace accidents were not reported correctly and some injuries not at all.

The Case for Health and Safety report found that 1.2 million working people in the UK believed themselves to be suffering from illnesses relating to their work. These include stress, heart disease, musculoskeletal disorders such as shoulder, back and neck pain, as well as mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.

This report therefore disputes allegations - which have led to business groups calling for the reduction of health and safety regulations or "red tape" - that the workplace is presently much safer than it has ever been.

The TUC has called on the Government to: ignore calls from the business lobby to reduce regulation and enforcement; use the UK network of 150,000 union health and safety representatives to greater effect; champion the issue and appoint a Government "tsar" for health and safety; and support the work of the HSE and local authorities in protecting people at work.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber talking about workplace accidents stated: "Despite the way that health and safety is often pilloried, for those who are made ill or injured at work and for the relatives of those who have died as a result of their work, health and safety is no joke.

"Regulation works, as long as it is enforced, and it saves lives and prevents the contraction of unnecessary illnesses. That is why the UK continues to need strong regulation and enforcement. Every one of the 20,000 annual workplace-related deaths could have been prevented, and if the level of HSE and local authority funding is cut, the effects will be even more catastrophic.

"Fatalities are not just statistics - they are real people, with lives and families - and any fall in inspections and enforcement will lead to an increase in accidents, injuries and deaths, and will have a huge impact on the already grave problem of workplace diseases.