Work related accident and ill-health statistics 2024
Posted on 20th November 2024 at 13:18
The HSE have released summary statistics for 2024, read on to see how we are doing in the UK.
Overall number of injuries
Data for fatalities and injuries is gather through RIDDOR reports, and by self-reports from the Labour Force Survey for people who worked in the last twelve months.
There were 138 workers killed at work in 2023/2024.
The long term fatal injury rate to workers has reduced significantly since 1981 (Year zero for the HSE stats being recorded this way). In 1981 there were 495 fatalities.
However, in recent years the number of fatalities has stayed roughly the same year on year, and the fatality rate (number of fatalities per 100,000 workers) has plateaued.
In addition to worker fatalities, 87 members of the public were killed as a result of work-related accidents in 2023/2024 period.
Fatalities by injury types
Falls from height continues to be the leading cause of fatal accidents in the workplace, accounting for 36% of fatalities
The top three groups: falls from height, struck by moving vehicle and struck by moving object make up over 70% of fatalities.
Looking back over the last 5 years, 85% of all fatal injuries have been caused by just 5 injury types. These are the three given above plus trapped by something collapsing or overturning, and contact with moving machinery.
Work related injuries
61,663 employees sustained non-fatal injuries cause by work related incidents were reported under RIDDOR in 2023/2024 period
604,000 workers self-reported a non-fatal injury related to their work in the Labour Force Survey 2023/2024
4.1million working days were lost due to workplace non-fatal injuries according to self-reports from the Labour Force Survey
The rates for 2023/2024 are similar to those in 2018/2019 lpre-covid level.
Work related ill-health
609,000 workers reported to be suffering from a new case of work related ill-health in 2023/2024.
This adds to the 1.7million workers suffering from long standing cases of work related ill-health.
The biggest contributor continues to be stress depression or anxiety, with 300,000 new cases being reported in 2023/2024.
29.6 million working days were lost due to work related ill-health in 2023/2024, with 16.4 million of those days being linked to stress, depression or anxiety.
Cost to our economy
The annual costs of workplace injury and work-related ill-health to the British economy in 2022/23 was estimated to be £21.6 billion, according to the HSE Cost Model based on the Labour Force Survey and RIDDOR reports.
This breaks down to £14.5 billion for new cases of work related ill-health and £7.1 billion for workplace injury.
These costs include loss of output, healthcare costs, monetary valuation given to pain, grief suffering and loss of life and other payments made, but excludes costs of long latency illnesses such as cancers.
So, what does this mean......
Three key messages pop out of the statistics published by the HSE, these are:
A
B
C
Work related mental health continues to be a huge area of concern, and organisations need to consider psychosocial risks to their employees as part of standard work practices.
The level in workplace injuries and illnesses are remaining pretty constant over the years (if we take out the pandemic years). Do we need to do something different to try and further drive down the numbers? Not more regulations, but better ways of implementing the regulations we already have?
The impact of fatalities, injuries and work related ill-health has an impact on both the economic and financial stability of the individuals concerned and society as a whole.
Do you have a question or comment.....? Let us know in the comments below.
Tagged as: Health & Safety
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