Health and Safety Facts and Statistics
The importance of good health and safety standards across the UK and the wider world becomes clear when looking at the facts and figures. There are still more than half a million workplace injuries and nearly two million work-related illnesses in the UK every year despite a greater focus on health and safety.
Workplace health and safety statistics change every year and vary across regions and industries. Here we provide a simple overview of the main numbers behind workplace accidents, injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. Get an idea of how important protecting employees is with the following health and safety facts and statistics.
Health and safety statistics
Hundreds of thousands of people in the UK still experience injuries and illnesses every year due to unsafe working conditions. This is despite there being strict laws and regulations in place, which have seen improvements. The facts, stats, and figures change each year, but these are the headline health and safety statistics in the UK from 2022/23:
- 8 million people experienced a work-related illness (including stress, depression, and musculoskeletal disorders)
- 561,000 people were injured at work according to self-reports
- 60,645 workplace non-fatal injuries were reported to RIDDOR
- There were 138 workplace fatalities
- 87 members of the public died in work-related accidents
- More than 35 million working days lost due to work-related illness and injuries
- It’s estimated that injuries and illness from poor working conditions cost £20.7 billion
Workplace injury and illness statistics
Injuries can happen in workplaces due to accidents and incidents that cause direct harm, such as a slip, trip, or fall. Workplace-related illnesses may occur after exposure to something harmful and include both physical and mental health conditions. Here are some key workplace illness and injury statistics for the UK:
- There were 124,000 workplace injuries leading to more than seven days absence from work last year
- Slips, trips, or falls on the same level accounted for the most common accidents – 32% of non-fatal injuries reported to RIDDOR
- Only 8% of workplace injuries were due to falls from a height
- Workplace injuries are estimated to cost the UK economy £7.7 billion each year – compared to £13.3 billion for ill health
- Nearly half a million workers suffer musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
- Around 6 million working days were lost due to MSDs
- MSDs were the second-highest cause of absence at work after mental health conditions
UK health and safety statistics about fatal accidents
Sadly, there are still serious workplace accidents and incidents that lead to the death of workers and members of the general public every year. These are the main stats about fatal workplace accidents in the UK:
- The construction industry was responsible for 51 workplace deaths – more than any other sector
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries were responsible for 23 fatalities
- Falls from a height were the reason for 50 workplace deaths – the most common reason
- Being struck by a moving vehicle was the reason behind 25 workplace fatalities
- In the UK, the highest fatal workplace injury death rate was in Wales (1.03 fatalities per 100,000 workers)
- There are around 12,000 deaths from lung disease linked to previous exposure in workplaces
Worldwide workplace health and safety statistics
Working conditions, practices, health and safety regulations, laws, and legislation vary across the world. This means certain countries and regions experience much higher and lower instances of injuries, illnesses, and fatalities due to health and safety at work. Get a global idea with some workplace health and safety statistics from around the world:
- 374 million workers suffer non-fatal injuries at work annually according to the UN Global Compact
- 78 million workers are fatally injured every year due to work-related incidents
- France recorded 3,043 workplace injuries per 100,000 workers – the highest in Europe – compared to 692 injuries per 100,000 workers in the UK
- There are also 2.6 fatalities per 100,000 workers in France (compared to 0.8 per 100,000 in the UK)
- Falls from a height are the leading cause of workplace injuries across the world – in Dubai 35% of accidents and 38% of workplace fatalities were due to falls from height
Further facts about health and safety
Health and safety accidents don’t just affect workers, people at home, the general public, and other people can all be affected. Here are some miscellaneous facts about health and safety:
- More accidents happen at home than at work – mainly as people spend more time at home than in the workplace
- Half of the people injured or killed in road traffic accidents are pedestrians or cyclists
- More boys have accidents at home than girls, but females are likelier to have a serious injury or fatal accident than males
- The South West of England had the highest non-fatal injury rate of 2,130 cases per 100,000 workers
- London had the lowest non-fatal injury rate of 1,150 cases per 100,000 workers
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