The annual summary statistics for workplace injuries and ill health have been released.
On 20 November 2024, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) released its annual summary statistics of workplace injuries and ill health covering the period April 2023 to March 2024.
The statistics reveal continuing high levels of both workplace ill health and workplace stress, anxiety and depression with a rising annual cost to the economy estimated at over £21 billion. In this article, we summarise the main headlines and provide insight on the main causes.
Summary headlines
- 1.7 million workers are suffering from work related ill health (new or longstanding cases). This represents a slight fall of 100,000 workers from the previous year.
- 776,000 existing and new cases of workplace stress, anxiety and depression.
- 604,000 workers have suffered a workplace non-fatal injury.
- 543,00 workers are suffering from a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) - an increase to that seen in 2021/2022 (477,000 cases).
- 12,000 lung disease deaths linked to past occupational exposure which includes 2,257 deaths due to mesothelioma (2022).
- A total of 33.7 million working days lost due to workplace ill health and injury with a total estimated cost to the economy of £21.7 billion.
- 138 workplace fatalities, though deaths linked to both Covid-19 and lung disease are excluded - a figure comparable with 2023/2024 (135 deaths)
Context and caveats
The statistics rely, for the main part, upon Labour Force Report Studies which the HSE recognise may under or overestimate the true position. Once again the statistics do not include any data in relation to cases of workplace violence.
In more detail…
Workplace mental health
The HSE report 776,000 new or longstanding cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety which include 300,000 “new cases” for 2023/2024.
This total is a reduction compared to the 857,000, seen in 2022/2023, though this cumulatively has resulted in a total of 16.4 million working days lost. Although the figure had been increasing over recent years the current rate is described as ‘similar to the 2018/2019 pre-pandemic level’. The sectors most impacted are; Human health/Social Work, Public Administration and Education. Human health has a ratio of 3,750 workers in every 100,000 suffering from a new or longstanding case of work-related stress, anxiety or depression.
All three sectors bore the brunt of ‘frontline’ work during the pandemic, indicative that covid-19 has had an enduring impact on workplace mental ill health.
Work related ill health
A staggering 1.7 million workers are recorded to be suffering from work related ill health (new or longstanding), resulting in 33.7 million working days lost.
The current ratio is significantly higher than that seen pre-pandemic and is largely attributable to rising levels of musculo-skeletal disorders and workplace stress, anxiety and depression.
Fatal and non-fatal workplace injuries
138 fatalities were recorded in 2023/2024. The UK’s rate of fatalities per 100,000 workers now stands at 0.38 compared to the highest level recorded in 1988 of 2.5. Accurate statistics have been compiled only from 1981. Historically the sector with the highest fatality rates is ‘agriculture/forestry/fishing’ though this sector’s estimates do not feature here with the explanation that ‘no data is available’.
The UK consistently has one of the lowest rates of fatal injury across Europe and is of a similar order to Germany and significantly lower than Poland, Italy, Spain and France.
The number of non-fatal workplace injuries stands at 604,000 for the period 2023/2024, a rise of over 40,000 to that seen in 2022/2023 with the current rate similar to the pre-pandemic position.
Notwithstanding ostensibly high workplace injury levels, the UK’s average compares favourably with other European countries.
Occupational Disease
2023/2024 saw 12,000 lung disease deaths related in whole or in part to past occupational exposure with the majority attributable to COPD, 20% to mesothelioma, 20% to asbestos related cancer and 22% to non-asbestos related lung cancer.
Mesothelioma mortality is impacted by a time lag in reporting. Deaths reported in 2022 showed broadly comparable levels to 2021 of 2,257 compared to the previous year (2021) of 2,268 deaths. The HSE predicts deaths will continue to fall throughout the rest of the decade to an estimated 1,300 deaths per annum by 2030. Highest mortality rates are found amongst those aged 75 years and above.
Cost to the economy
The annual cost of workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill health (excluding long latency diseases/conditions such as cancer), amounts to an estimated £21.6 billion of which £7.1 billion is attributable to workplace injury.
Conclusions
Notwithstanding the welcome fall of 80,000 cases compared to 2022/2023. this year’s summary statistics continue to be dominated by both workplace stress, anxiety and depression alongside rising levels of Musculo-skeletal disorders. The cost to individuals, employers and the Government continues to rise and now stands at £21.6 billion compared to £18 billion seen in 2021/2022.
What is clear however from data releases seen from both the Claims Portal Company and the Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU), is that the high levels of workplace ill health are not translating into claims.
